Rivals must be killed outright. This seems to have been and still is Facebook’s policy, although the group has entered the antitrust authorities’ radar. A new network, Clubhouse, still exclusive, but rapidly expanding, is immediately copied by Facebook. He is a potential rival, because this new way of relating proves to be very successful, so Facebook makes him an “impersonator” and offers the facilities in his own network, so that no threat appears.
The New York Times reports that this “clone” of Facebook is now in its early stages of development and it is unclear when it will be released. Even if they are unknown mutes, the response with the speed of light to the potential threat should still be noted.
What is a clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio-only social network, based on conversations or stories, including discussion groups. It’s a niche that has become extremely popular.
Clubhouse was launched only last year. In December it had 350 users, and now it has reached 600,000 globally. It is a fast spread in the conditions in which the entrance to the club is made on the basis of an invitation from an existing member.
Recently, it increased its notoriety after Elon Musk and the executive director of the Robinhood trading platform, Vlad Tenev, had a conversation on this network.
Cloning, the Facebook weapon
“Cloning” without retaining some ideas has become a Facebook specialty. He has not shied away from such a thing in the past. In fact, most of the additional services that appeared on the social network came in response to potential threats, by copying these services.
He introduced features like Stories and Reels, which were inspired by Snapchat and TikTok. Facebook also cloned Zoom after the video conferencing application grew in popularity. Some say, ironically, that probably the last great idea on Facebook was the founding idea itself.
As a development policy, Facebook either copied or bought rivals. If you can’t beat the competition, just buy it! That’s what happened with Instagram and WhatsApp. Acquiring Beluga actually meant buying the technology behind the Messenger platform.
But because stifling competition is already one of the charges in its antitrust lawsuits, Facebook is acting cautiously and not putting money on the table to annihilate the rival.
