Quora

Quora, the Silicon Valley brainchild of former Facebook employees Adam D’Angelo and Charlie Cheever, emerged in 2009 as the erudite answer to our most pressing and pointless questions. Known for its blend of academic rigor and internet savvy, Quora quickly became the go-to platform for anyone who fancied themselves an expert—or just liked to sound like one. A defining moment came in 2014 when Quora secured a $80 million funding round, ballooning its valuation to around $900 million and attracting heavyweights like Peter Thiel to its board. The platform boasts an impressive roster of contributors, from Nobel laureates to Silicon Valley luminaries. However, it hasn’t been all accolades and upvotes. Quora has faced controversies over data breaches, sparking concerns about user privacy. Despite this, CEO D’Angelo has maintained a steady hand on the helm, guiding Quora through the choppy waters of social media's volatile landscape. With over 300 million monthly users, the site remains a bastion for the curious and the opinionated, proving that while the internet may be rife with misinformation, there are still places where the quest for knowledge prevails—albeit with a healthy dose of ego and intellectual preening.