The advent of Clubhouse

THE idea is deceptively simple, an audio-only platform where people can gather and talk. No recording, no direct messaging, and no streams of photos, videos or text. Just a Clubhouse where like-minded people can come together and speak. Launched in April last year, Clubhouse currently has 10 million weekly active users, is valued at US$1 billion (RM4.13 billion), and has received investment from over 180 organisations and venture capitalists. Some of this information came straight from its co-founder and chief executive officer, Paul Davidson. Clubhouse started to gain popularity in the digital world when tech billionaires like Elon Musk and celebrities like Chris Rock began to use and talk about the platform. But its surge in the number of users could perhaps also be credited to its exclusivity. To understand what Clubhouse is and how it works, it helps to imagine it as a physical place, a castle surrounded by curtain walls. It looks foreboding from afar. You walk up to the gates and are told that you need the Clubhouse app to enter. Currently, the app is in beta and is only available on the App Store. So you whip out your iPhone and download the app. You are…
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