Key Highlights
- Koo is closing due to high technology costs and failed partnerships
- Launched in 2020, Koo let users communicate in local Indian languages
- Koo’s founders are open to future opportunities and promise a comeback
Koo, the Indian social media app, is shutting down. The company’s co-founder, Mayank Bidawatka, announced this on LinkedIn. He said, “we will be discontinuing our service to the public”. This news came just hours after a report by The Morning Context revealed that talks between Koo and DailyHunt about a possible acquisition had failed.
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Why Is Koo Shutting Down?
Mayank Bidawatka explained that they tried to partner with many big companies, but these talks didn’t work out. “While we would’ve liked to keep the app running, the cost of technology services to keep a social media app running is high and we’ve had to take this tough decision,” he wrote.
A Brief History Of Koo
Koo was launched in March 2020 by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka. The app quickly gained attention by winning the AatmaNirbhar App Innovation Challenge, organized by the Government of India, in August 2020. Koo was seen as India’s answer to Twitter, promoting the use of Indian-made products and services.
In April 2023, Koo began cutting down its workforce to manage expenses. Over the year, they reduced their 260-member team by 30 percent, laying off around 80 employees.
What Made Koo Unique?
Koo aimed to allow users to communicate in local Indian languages, filling a gap where most social media platforms, especially Twitter in India, were English-dominated. “We saw a big gap between the languages the world speaks and the fact that most social products, especially X/Twitter in India are English dominant. In a world where 80 percent of the population speaks a language other than English, this is a strong need. We wanted to democratize expression and enable a better way to connect people in their local languages,” said Bidawatka.
The Struggle For Funding
Despite its unique features and potential, Koo struggled with funding. “We built a globally scalable product in a fraction of the time that X/Twitter did, with superior systems, algorithms, and strong stakeholder-first philosophies. Koo used to have a 10 percent like ratio, almost 7-10x the ratio Twitter had – making Koo a more favorable platform for creators,” Bidawatka explained. At its peak, Koo had about 2.1 million daily active users and around 10 million monthly active users, including many VIPs.
Future Hopes
Even though Koo is shutting down, the company is still looking for a good deal. Bidawatka said they are open to sharing their technology with someone who has a great vision for India’s role in social media. He also mentioned the possibility of turning Koo into a digital public good to enable social conversations in native languages worldwide. Despite the shutdown, the founders promise a comeback. Bidawatka concluded by saying, “you will see us back in the arena one way or another”.
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Conclusion
The shutdown of Koo marks the end of an ambitious project to create an Indian alternative to Twitter. While the app had many successes, the high cost of technology and lack of funding ultimately led to its closure. However, the founders remain hopeful for a future return.
