Facebook is reportedly working on its own version of Clubhouse – the invitation-only audio-chat social networking app. According to a report in The New York Times, the social media giant has asked employees to create a similar product like Clubhouse, though the development is said to be in early stages. Notably, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg recently appeared on Clubhouse where he participated in a chat about the future of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). Before Zuckerberg’s appearance, Tesla’s Elon Musk had joined the app earlier this month where he even interacted with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev over Gamestock-Wall Street stock-saga.
The report adds that the Facebook-Clubhouse-project’s name could also change in future and the product is in its “earliest” stages of development. “We’ve been connecting people through audio and video technologies for many years and are always exploring new ways to improve that experience for people,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report on Wednesday.
Over the years, Facebook has tried experimenting with new formats and apps that are inspired by other platforms in the market. For instance, the company introduced Stories on Instagram in 2017 (and later on other platforms) inspired by Snap’s Snapchat. The company back in 2018 also launched a new app, Lasso that allowed users to create short videos and record themselves while dancing and lip-syncing to music, similar to TikTok. Last year, Facebook introduced another TikTok-like platform namely Collab that is available to iOS users in the US. The social media giant is also reportedly working on its own newsletter platform, inspired by Substack.
Meanwhile, Facebook’s rival Twitter has been also working on Twitter Spaces to take on Clubhouse. Twitter’s audio-based platform is said to be featured on the main Twitter app; however, its details remain sparse at the moment. Product Designer at Twitter Maya Patterson had said that the feature is meant to create a safe space for intimate conversations in public. As per an image shared by Twitter, Spaces can accommodate multiple participants and users can request to be a part of the audio-based conversation.
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