A son’s tribute to his father became an AI assistant that makes technology more accessible through the simplicity of text messaging.
When Brad Wriedt lost his father, Ed, he lost someone who had always been there when people needed help. Friends and family knew they could call Ed for advice, support, or direction. He answered the phone, showed up when it mattered, and had a way of making difficult situations feel manageable. That example became the inspiration for a technology company with a deeply human purpose.
“I named Ed after my dad. He passed away before I started this company, but he was the kind of person who always answered when you called and always knew what to do. That is what I wanted Ed to be.” – Brad Wriedt, CEO of TXTDrop
Today, TXTDrop delivers artificial intelligence through the one tool billions of people already use every day: text messaging. No app download. No account creation. No learning curve. Users simply send a text message and receive immediate assistance with weather, travel, health tracking, sports scores, grocery planning, restaurant recommendations, and more than 165 other features. The company’s innovative approach recently earned national recognition when TXTDrop was named Best SMS Based AI Service in the United States of 2026 by Evergreen Awards.
“Everyone is talking about AI, but most of it requires you to download something, create an account, and figure out how it works. We just said, what if you could text it? Everyone already knows how to text.” – Brad Wriedt
That decision represents a fundamental shift in how artificial intelligence reaches people. While TXTDrop resonates strongly with Baby Boomers and Gen X who have felt left behind by the app economy, it was built for anyone who values simplicity over complexity. Rather than asking users to adapt to technology, TXTDrop adapts technology to habits people already have.
One of the company’s most talked-about innovations is Coach Ivan, an AI-powered fitness coach available entirely through text. Users send workout videos across 45 sports and activities, from weightlifting and golf to yoga and martial arts, and receive detailed coaching feedback within seconds.
“Coach Ivan can watch you do a squat and give you better feedback than most trainers. By text. That still blows my mind.” – Brad Wriedt
The feature eliminates the need for a separate fitness app, wearable device, or complicated onboarding. It is one example of how TXTDrop approaches every feature: find something that normally requires specialized software and deliver it through a simple text conversation.
The company has also built the After Loss Guide, a feature inspired directly by Brad’s mother’s experience after her husband passed away. When a user shares that a loved one has died, Ed responds with compassion and sends a personalized checklist covering death certificates, Social Security notification, VA benefits, probate, life insurance, and grief support resources. It is the kind of practical help that people desperately need in their hardest moments but rarely know how to find.
TXTDrop launched with pricing starting at five dollars per month, making it accessible to anyone who wants a smarter, simpler assistant in their pocket. For users who have felt excluded by modern technology, the promise is not just convenience. It is inclusion.
For Brad Wriedt, that mission traces back to a simple truth about his father. Ed Wriedt was not a technology executive or an innovator. He was a person who showed up when people needed him. Every text sent to TXTDrop’s AI is, in some small way, an attempt to carry that forward.
Try TXTDrop free for 14 days. Text 503-898-3767 – no app, no download, just text. Visit www.TXTDrop.ai to learn more. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
