India’s microblogging platform, Koo, has announced its plans to shut down services, leaving millions of users in limbo.
The platform, which positioned itself as an alternative to Elon Musk’s X, was launched in 2020 and gained popularity in 2021 after several Indian ministers endorsed it.
According to the founders, Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, the decision to shut down was due to a shortage of funding and high technology costs. Despite efforts to secure funding through partnerships with larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses, talks failed to yield the desired outcome.
“We explored partnerships with multiple larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses but these talks didn’t yield the outcome we wanted,” the founders wrote on LinkedIn. “Most of them didn’t want to deal with user-generated content and the wild nature of a social media company. A couple of them changed priority almost close to signing.”
Koo’s shutdown comes as a surprise to many, especially in Nigeria, where the Federal Government had opened a Koo account after suspending X operations in 2021. The platform had gained popularity in India, with over 20 million downloads by the end of 2021, offering messaging in over 10 Indian languages.
However, the platform struggled to secure funding in recent years, leading to a 30% reduction in its workforce in April 2023. Despite its efforts, Koo was unable to overcome its funding challenges, leading to its eventual shutdown.
