As Elon Musk suddenly thinking about creating an “everything app,” and what does that even mean? The question arose after Elon Musk earlier this month reverse course on his decision not to buy Twitter.
Elon Musk complete his $44 billion (approx. Rs. 3,62,300 crore) acquisition of Twitter, but provide little clarity on how he will achieve the ambitions he has outline for the influential social media platform.
The concept of an everything app, often refer to as a “super app,” is massively popular in Asia and tech companies across the world have tried to replicate it.
What is a Super App?
A super app, or what Elon Musk refers to as an “everything app,” has describe as the Swiss army knife of mobile apps, offering a suite of services for users such as messaging, social networking, peer-to-peer payments and e-commerce shopping.
This mega apps are widely use in Asia because mobile is the main form of access to the internet for many people in the region, wrote Scott Galloway, a New York University professor of marketing and co-host of tech podcast “Pivot,” in 2021.
Examples of Super Apps.
Chinese super app WeChat has more than 1 billion monthly users, according to one estimate, and is a ubiquitous part of daily life in China.
Users can hail a car or taxi, send money to friends and family or make payments at stores.
In 2018, some Chinese cities began testing WeChat for an electronic identification system that would be tied to users’ accounts, according to the South China Morning Post.
Grab, a leading super app across Southeast Asia, offers food delivery, ride-hailing, on-demand package delivery and financial services and investing.
Why Elon Musk want to make a Super App?
During a question-and-answer session with Twitter employees in June, Elon Musk note there is no equivalent to a super app like WeChat outside of Asia.
“You basically live on WeChat in China,” Elon Musk said, adding he saw an opportunity to create such an app.
Adding more tools and services to Twitter could also help Elon Musk reach his lofty growth goals for the company.
During the Q&A with employees, Elon Musk said he want Twitter to grow from its 237 million users to “at least a billion”.
Elon Musk and members of his inner circle text multiple times about the idea of adding digital payments to Twitter, according to messages release in the discovery phase of litigation between Elon Musk and the social media company.
In the text messages, Elon Musk discuss the possibility of placing Twitter on the blockchain, though he later appeare to decide such a move would not work.
However, crypto exchange Binance, which has invest $500 million (approx. Rs. 4,100 crore) into Elon Musk’s buyout of the social media firm, is creating a team to work on how blockchain and crypto could be helpful to Twitter, a company spokesperson said.
Elon Musk Receives Pleas to Remove Bans on Accounts Soon After Twitter Takeover
After hours Elon Musk kick off a new era at Twitter, the billionaire owner was deluge with pleas and demands from ban account holders and world leaders.
The flood of requests underscore the challenge the CEO of electric car maker Tesla faces, balancing a promise to restore free speech while preventing the platform from descending into a “hellscape,” as he had vow in an open letter to advertisers.
Former US President Donald Trump, who was permanently ban from Twitter over accusations of inciting violence after the January 6, 2021 capitol riots, welcome the takeover, but said little about his return to Twitter.
“I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs who truly hate our country.”
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russia president and current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council tweeted his congratulations.
Others ask Elon Musk to reverse penalties inflict by the social media platform.
In response to an anonymous account with 8,52,000 followers, known for being a big supporter of Trump’s election fraud claims, and who said it was “shadowbanned,”
Musk tweeted :
“I will be digging in more today.”
The pressure is mounting on Elon Musk and Twitter as he is set to address the Twitter staff after closing the deal.
Elon Musk has not offer details on how he will achieve all this and who will run the company.
He has said he plans to cut jobs, leaving Twitter’s 7,500 employees fretting about their future.
Elon Musk also said he did not buy Twitter to make more money but “to try to help humanity, whom I love.”
He tried to calm Twitter employee fears that major layoffs are coming and assure advertisers that his past criticism of Twitter’s content moderation rules would not harm its appeal.
Fewer that 10% of 266 Twitter employees who participate in a poll on messaging app Blind expect to still have their jobs in three months.
Blind allows employees to air grievances anonymously after they sign up with corporate emails.
Elon Musk fire Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, according to people familiar with the matter.
He had accuse them of misleading him and Twitter investors over the number of fake accounts on the platform.
Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal were in Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters when the deal close and were escort out, the sources add.
Before closing the deal, Elon Musk walk into Twitter’s headquarters with a big grin and a porcelain sink, subsequently tweeting “let that sink in.”
Elon Musk change his Twitter profile description to “Chief Twit.”
European regulators also reiterate past warnings that, under Musk’s leadership, Twitter must still abide by the region’s Digital Services Act, which levies hefty fines on companies if they do not control illegal content.
“In Europe, the bird will fly by our EU rules,” EU industry chief Thierry Breton tweet.
European Parliament lawmaker and civil rights proponent Patrick Breyer suggest people look for alternatives where privacy is a priority.
“Twitter already knows our personalities dangerously well due to its pervasive surveillance of our every click. Now this knowledge will be falling into Musk’s hands.”
Elon Musk has indicate he sees Twitter as a foundation for creating a “super app” that offers everything from money transfers to shopping and ride-hailing.
But Twitter is struggling to engage its most active users who are vital to the business.
These “heavy tweeters” account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue.
