This archive report was first published on 4 May 2021.
As we reflect on the past year, it's clear that Clubhouse's success paved the way for other social media platforms to explore audio-only approaches. Twitter, in particular, has been at the forefront of this trend, with its Spaces feature gaining popularity since its launch late last year.
However, Twitter's Spaces feature is not the only one of its kind. Facebook is reportedly developing Live Messenger Rooms, while Spotify has acquired Locker Room, a live audio app. Instagram has also expanded its Live Rooms to include more people, and Slack will soon have live chat rooms. Discord has already rolled out Stage and Voice Channels, which allow users to talk and listen to others.
But Twitter's Spaces feature stands out from the rest, with the company opening it up to everyone on the platform with over 600 followers. This move is a significant departure from Clubhouse's invite-only approach, which limited the platform's growth. Twitter has also announced plans to introduce a ticketing system, allowing creators to make money from hosting Spaces.
Interestingly, Twitter's decision to clone Clubhouse's features comes after the company reportedly held discussions to acquire the latter for $4 billion. The talks stalled, but it's possible that this was the motivation behind Twitter's push to develop its own audio-only feature.
As we've seen in the past, when a company rejects a major acquisition offer, the acquiring company may try to replicate the acquired company's features. This is exactly what Facebook did with Snapchat after the latter rejected a $4 billion offer from the former. Facebook went on to clone Snapchat's features, including its stories, and the rest is history.
It remains to be seen whether Twitter's Spaces feature will be as successful as Clubhouse's. However, one thing is certain: Twitter's decision to clone Clubhouse's features is a bold move that could pay off in the long run.
