Facebook is building Clubhouse-like audio chat app

Facebook is reportedly working on a Clubhouse-like audio chat app, two people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

Clubhouse is an audio-chat social media app that was launched in April 2020 by the US-based developer Alpha Exploration CO. The app which you can join only by a referral link and which is available only on the iOS platform right now has become quite popular especially in the last two months.

While it was valued at $100 million in December 2020, it’s value rose to $1 billion in January 2021. The app has over 2 million weekly users now, as reported by the developer. 

Also Read: Everything you need to know about Clubhouse app

Two people close to the matter told the New York Times that the social media giant Facebook which has a reputation for cloning its rivals is now working on a new audio-chat product to compete with Clubhouse. The company launched Snapchat-rival Instagram Stories, TikTok-rival Reels and Zoom-rival Rooms before.

They said that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is very interested in audio chat forms and he used the Clubhouse app on Sunday to talk about AR and VR. 

Also Read: Elon Musk’s chat with Robinhood CEO sparks a scramble for invitations to Clubhouse

There is not much information about the product yet as it is reportedly in the early 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,” said Facebook spokeswoman Emilie Haskell. 

According to the New York Times, a Clubhouse spokesperson declined to make a comment on the issue.