Over the top shorted
Update on soundhound and mcdonalds.
While McDonald’s is not partnering with SoundHound directly for the "Archy" / ArchIQ platform, there is a very interesting, indirect connection between the two companies.
Here is how SoundHound ties into the situation:
The Indirect Connection (Acrelec)
SoundHound has a major strategic partnership with a company called Acrelec. Acrelec is a massive global player in quick-service restaurant technology that builds hardware and software for drive-thrus, digital menu boards, and self-ordering kiosks.
Acrelec’s biggest customer is McDonald's (they power the physical kiosks you use to order inside the restaurants). SoundHound partnered with Acrelec to bake their "Dynamic Drive-Thru" voice AI straight into Acrelec's hardware systems. Because of this, tech investors and industry insiders heavily watch SoundHound to see if McDonald's will eventually tap them to expand or supplement their voice tech down the road.
The Direct Strategy: Google vs. SoundHound
When McDonald’s dropped IBM, SoundHound was widely considered a major candidate to take over because they already run the voice-ordering AI for major chains like White Castle, Jersey Mike’s, Five Guys, and Chipotle.
However, McDonald’s ultimately decided to lean into its massive, multi-year enterprise relationship with Google Cloud to build the ArchIQ ecosystem from the ground up, rather than outsourcing the core voice tech to an independent specialist like SoundHound.
So for now:
Google is the brain behind the "Archy" 5-store pilot.
SoundHound is dominating other fast-food chains and holds a backdoor connection to McDonald's through their hardware partner, Acrelec.