The New York TimesFeb 11, 2021 14:10:41 IST
Facebook is building an audio chat product that is similar to a popular young app Clubhouse, according to two people familiar with the matter, as the social network aims to expand into new forms of communication.
Clubhouse, a social networking app, has been built to allow people to gather in audio chat rooms to discuss a range of topics. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook ‘s chief executive, has been interested in audio communication forms, told those familiar with the matter, and appeared in the Clubhouse app on Sunday to chat about augmented and substantive reality.
Facebook officials have ordered employees to create a similar product, the people said, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The product is at its earliest stages of development, they said, and the code name of the project could change.
“We’ve been connecting people through audio and video technologies for a number of years and we’re always exploring new ways to improve that experience for people,” said Emilie Haskell, Facebook spokeswoman. A representative for Clubhouse declined to comment.
Facebook has a history of breaking into new technologies and running various media that have attracted users, especially if those audiences are young. Zuckerberg bought a photo sharing site Instagram, a messaging app WhatsApp and virtual reality company Oculus when they were all small start-ups.
The Facebook New Product Testing team appears to be working on the project. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
Facebook is also famous in Silicon Valley for being willing to clone its competitors. Instagram in 2016 replicated one of Snapchat’s rival tent features, Stories, which allows users to share casual videos and photos. Last year, Instagram turned off Reels, a TikTok-of video output. When telephone conferencing service Glossary became popular last year, Facebook quickly created Rooms, a group video chat service. And this year, Facebook has been working on a competitive product to Substack, the popular newsletter service.
Facebook has dabbled in experimental app development through its New Product Testing team. The team has worked on podcast apps, travel apps and music apps, among others.
Clubhouse, founded last year by entrepreneurs Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, has caught on among the Silicon Valley elite as a private, invite-only app for the iPhone. The app is in “beta,” meaning it is still in the testing phase before being widely released.
After registering for Clubhouse, users can create rooms dedicated to different topics. Instead of video or text, voice chat is Clubhouse’s preferred medium. Room sizes vary from personal to thousands of people listening or participating. At times, it has operated as a hybrid of CB radio and party line since the 1980s.
Clubhouse it has thrived in the pandemic as people have found ways to connect while away from each other. The app sits at the top of the Apple App Store rankings in countries like Germany, Italy, Japan and Turkey. At a recent internal meeting, Davison and Seth said Clubhouse had 2 million weekly users.
Dozens of celebrities – from Drake and Tiffany Haddish to Jared Leto and co-founder of Instagram – have appeared on the app, joining various conversations and using the service to promote their projects.
Investors have noticed. Clubhouse raised $ 100 million in January at a valuation of $ 1 billion, according to PitchBook. It was valued last year at $ 100 million. Investors include venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and more than 180 others, the company has said.
Others are trying to compete with him Clubhouse. Twitter is testing a product, called Spaces, that offers a similar audio chat function.
International interest in Clubhouse has grown. On Monday, the app was blocked in China after people there joined those from Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere to share views on topics ranging from political to bad weather.
Tech titans have started appearing from time to time Clubhouse. Last month, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, agreed to interview Clubhouse with two Silicon Valley technologists, Sriram Krishnan and Aarthi Ramamurthy, who will be holding an overnight talk show on the app called “Good Time. ”That sparked interest, and Clubhouse it was difficult for them to continue their service.
On Sunday, the hosts of “Good Time” interviewed an action group on Facebook when an amazing guest appeared: Zuckerberg. He briefly spoke about the fate of augmented and substantive reality and Facebook’s plans, before leaving to return to his family.
[Mike Isaac] c.2020 New York Times Company