Twitter’s been developing the trendy social audio Clubhouse’s competitive software, but obviously, the acquisition of the firm has already been debated clearly. Today, Bloomberg notes that Twitter discussed the purchase of the app with Clubhouse for about $4 billion. It is confirmed that these discussions have stopped and it is uncertain why. It is also uncertain if Twitter or Clubhouse first contacted the other one, which could talk about how each channel feels in terms of social audio rivalry.
Bloomberg also announced yesterday that Clubhouse currently wants to raise funds for an estimated $4 billion; the amount might come out of these Twitter debates or that Clubhouse is buying the figure.
Last year, Clubhouse introduced the concept to hold live audio discussions and popularized them. Celebrities, tech executives, and common citizens have turned in and hosted rooms since that time. There are reportedly more than 10 million downloaders of the software. What is amazing is the fact that these users are through iOS or invite-only.
The application still has several rivals, like Facebook, Twitter, Discord, LinkedIn, and Slack. These services now feature millions of people’s built-in user bases as well as fully integrated mobile, iOS, and Android applications. However, Clubhouse tries to invent quickly. It has been staffing up and hiring engineers for its Android app in recent months. The app has already started this week as a way to raise money for developers. The company will not be taking their profit on that revenue.
For its part, on both iOS and Android, Twitter Spaces has already started. This month, the company will also announce a web edition with open hosting capabilities for all customers. It does not make sense that Twitter wants to buy Clubhouse because it wants to wipe out the rivalry and to get its loyal user base and buzz name. In either scenario, both Clubhouse and Twitter are still on the road towards dominating social audio.