• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
TechStartups & Venture

What’s in a tech startup name? According to kids, magic tricks and lip moisturizer

By
Matt McCue
Matt McCue
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Matt McCue
Matt McCue
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 8, 2014, 12:44 PM ET
Children using different gadgets
Children using different gadgetsImage Source—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Qwerly. Zlio. HootSuite. Adatao. Today’s technology company founders have a remarkable ability to dream up silly and often difficult-to-pronounce business names for their ingenious inventions. Long gone are the days when a company’s name was literal (International Business Machines, General Electric), named after its founders (Hewlett-Packard, Dell), or a modest interpretation of real words (Microsoft: microcomputer software; Intel: integrated electronics).

Consider Viggle, the three-year-old entertainment marketing platform. Was every other possible option in the history of the world taken? Based on brand names alone, it’s impossible to tell what some tech companies—Zoosk, Hipmunk, Uber, Square, even Jawbone—actually do, much less sell.

Here at Fortune, we tackle these kinds of stumpers with shoe leather reporting, hard-hitting questions, and a steely resolve to uncover the facts. So we sought out the sharpest interview sources we could find: four seven-year-old campers at iD Tech Camp in New York City. The national organization holds its summer camp sessions at 60 different locations across the U.S. and teaches its campers, who are between the ages of 7 and 17, how to code, create apps, and design video games. The camps, which include a new Alexa Café unit focused on female programmers, will draw more than 36,000 participants this summer.

Since some of these impressive, soon-to-be second graders will be creating the tech startups of tomorrow, we enlisted their help to explain what several popular tech companies do and sell, based solely on their brand names. The students kindly obliged.

Johnny

What are you working on this week at camp?

Scratch. It’s a program [developed by the MIT Media Lab.]

It sounds hard. Is it?

In my opinion, it’s easier than other programs because you don’t have to write the commands down. It’s like building Legos. I am also making a shark attack [game] and all of the animals have red eyes.

Can you help us figure out what Hipmunk sells? [Editor’s note: The correct answer is travel deals.]

Animal video games apps.

Who uses it?

People who want to learn about animals.

What do you think of the name?

Silly, because it’s like a chipmunk.

Let me ask you about one more company called Square.

They sell square products, like a cubular seat and a cubed table.

How much do you think those things cost?

$50.99 or $49.99. I think that’s the right cost.

If you have the chance to name your own company one day, what would you call it?

If I sold really nice couches, I would call it FabCouch.

Jenny

Based on the name, what do you think Uber sells?

Joke books and magic tricks.

And who are their customers?

Magicians, adults, and I bet some kids.

What if I told you Uber sells car rides?

So that is the real thing that happens?

Yes. How about Zoosk? What do you think that sells?

I give up. [Editor’s note: It’s a dating app.]

If you start your own company one day, what would you call it?

“Hey Hey It’s JJ.” I would sell something I invented, but the only thing I have invented is a piece of origami. I call it the Fortune Flower. It’s like a fortune teller, except in the shape of a flower.

Katie

What do you think Jawbone sells?

Bones for your jaw.

What if I told you Jawbone sells portable stereos and bracelets that track your sleep?

That would be funny because you would think it helps old people whose jaws are really weak.

Another one I want to ask you about is Snapchat. What is their product?

ChapStick, because the “chat” sounds like “ChapStick” and the “snap” sounds like moisturizer for your lips.

What if I told you it was a texting company?

That would be funny because it sells something that has nothing to do with ChapStick.

Tyler

When you hear the company name Zoosk, what do you think of?

Lightning bolts because Zeus is the god of the skies.

What do you think Zoosk sells?

Air products, like an air conditioner.

Who uses Zoosk?

Someone who is really hot at night.

Then there is Box. What do you think they do?

I think they move stuff. Like when you’re moving, they can carry your bed to your other house.

What if I told you that Box is an online storage service?

It’s really silly, because a computer isn’t shaped like a box and a box doesn’t have electricity.

Finally there is Uber. What do you think they sell?

Food.

Like what kind of food?

Like a burrito.

What about the word “Uber” suggested “burrito”?

Not that much, but there are lots of types of burritos and that was the first thing that came to my mind that worked with Uber.

The names of the campers have been changed.

About the Author
By Matt McCue
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
14 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago
In this photo illustration, a Cisco logo is displayed on a smartphone with Artificial Intellingence (AI) symbols in the background.
AICFO Daily
Cisco is rolling out AI agents to every single one of its 90,000 employees
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago
senate
CommentaryCongress
One rare bipartisan AI bill is moving through Congress. Here’s why it deserves to pass
By Neil Björkman and Betsy BrewerJuly 1, 2026
19 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
21 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.