US-based microblogging and social media service Twitter is already working on a rival to popular voice-based social networking app Clubhouse, while reports suggest that it had considered buying the business outright.
According to reports, Twitter has been in talks with Clubhouse about buying the app for $4 billion. These talks have come to a halt, and it’s unclear why. It’s also unclear if Twitter or Clubhouse contacted the other first, which may indicate how each platform feels about the social audio competition.
As per the reports that Clubhouse is trying to raise money at a $4 billion valuation; it’s likely that amount came from these Twitter conversations, or that Clubhouse is selling it around.
Last year, Clubhouse debuted and popularised the concept of hosting live audio conversations. Since then, celebrities, tech CEOs, and regular folks have tuned in and hosted spaces. The app, which is officially invite-and iOS-only, has reportedly been downloaded by more than 10 million people.
Facebook, Twitter, Discord, LinkedIn, and Slack are only a few of the apps that compete with it. These other platforms also have millions of users and fully functional networks, iOS, and Android apps. Still, Clubhouse is attempting to innovate at a rapid pace.
In recent months, it has increased its workforce and recruited an engineer to work on its Android app. It also introduced tipping inside the app as a way for developers to earn money. Twitter Spaces, on the other hand, is also available on iOS and Android.
This month, the company also plans to launch a web edition and make hosting capabilities available to all users. It’s unclear why Twitter would want to buy Clubhouse unless it wanted to eliminate the competition and gain access to its loyal user base and buzzy name. Either way, Clubhouse, and Twitter will continue to compete in the fight for social audio dominance.
