Is Clubhouse entering its final stages?
Over the past few weeks, the departure of several top executives from the company has raised eyebrows about its future, with the latest download numbers pointing to problems for the one-time audio social app.
Recent executive exits have also been reported as an important indicator of its current state. Protocol:
“Towards the end of April, Stephanie Simon Left As the head of the brand Evangelism and Development Company. Simon joined Clubhouse just a few months after its launch in 2020. Later this week, three more leaders announced their resignations, including Nina Gregory, Aarti Rammurti And Anu Ataluru; The trio led News, International and Community, respectively.“
The gradual transfer of content leaders points to a change of strategy for the clubhouse Bloomberg It was also reported late last week that the clubhouse was carrying out significant stuffing.Part of a comprehensive restructuring and redesign of the audio app‘
That strategic change, as noted by Casey Newton of the platformProbably more aligned with less structure, and more casual use of the app to meet friends and like-minded people or to ‘chill’ online in these shared audio spaces.
Which, of course, made the video an overnight sensation Shan Puri As a possible trajectory of the clubhouse.
You dramatically remove the whiteboard. The peacetime CEO is no more. Now is the time for war.
Forget the show. That was annoying anyway. However many “experts” and “successful coaches”. Is it … a dispute for a Dutchbag?
No no, you take the blue marker and write “chilling” on the board.
– Shan Puri (ShaanVP) March 16, 2021
Puri, whose Long tweet thread He also predicted what would happen at the clubhouse, predicting a future downward spiral for the app, which could eventually cool down to ‘a’. Dead Endo ‘.
It has worked in the technology bubble, because the hype cycle has driven so many technology people that you have hit the critical mass. You cannot replicate that magic in every community
The end of the story is not so funny. Growth slows down. Shake users. You are earning $ 90M through Facebook.
– Shan Puri (ShaanVP) March 16, 2021
Puri knew he had worked on several buzz apps, much like Clubhouse, which saw strong performances at first, only to fade repeatedly. Because live content, by itself, is difficult, and compelling, to ensure a consistent experience in a user-generated live format, almost impossible on any scale.
That’s why Blab, along with Mirkat, died, and why live-stream content on Facebook and Twitter was never compatible with widespread publicity, which many enthusiasts called a ‘game changer’ and quickly turned their LinkedIn description into a ‘live video’. Updated to Strategists’ and the like.
Live audio, as Puri has predicted, is following the same trend – and as mentioned, the latest download statistics from Clubhouse do not inspire much confidence in this regard.
Protocol report That From January 1st to May 31st of its year, Clubhouse saw 3.8 million installs worldwide, down 80% year-on-year from 19 million installs in the same period last year.
Again, this is probably no surprise, at one point everyone was shaking hands for an invitation to the clubhouse, and now, you rarely hear mention of the app. But Clubhouse was seeing steady growth in India and other regions outside the United States, pointing to future prospects despite its dim spotlight.
Now, it seems that the trends are also declining, which could lead to the final stage for the app.
Add to that the fact that other apps have stolen a lot of lightning through their own, similar features (reinforcing the narrative that audio is a social feature, not a platform), and it looks like an increasingly challenging road for the app.
Despite this trend, can the clubhouse find a unique niche and still play a role in the wider connecting landscape?
I mean, Snapchat did it. Snapchat was in the same position when Instagram revived its storage functionality and tried to deny one of the key points of its difference. As a result, Snap has lost a lot of traction, but it has been able to retain its place by doubling other aspects, such as the close connection between friends with the ongoing AR innovation.
The difference is that the clubhouse has nothing else – it’s an audio room where you can tune in and participate in extensive chats. But that’s it. If listeners aren’t tuning in, and broadcasters are starting to get better responses elsewhere, you can see where the trend is heading – and with the focus on video content there is a much more significant behavioral change overall, you can imagine many clubhouses emerging. Broadcasters eventually move on to podcasting and vlogging, both of which offer better monetization possibilities and reach a wider audience.
Live chilling, as Puri mentioned, is probably not the answer. But it seems that Clubhouse is increasingly seeing less choice because it works to restore its early magic.