But unlike in China, American Internet users have yet to embrace conducting business on chat.Livingston believes that’s because we haven’t found the right design for the software atop these platforms. Crew bot any of the questions you might have about the store (where’s the sale rack, please, and what can I find there in my size? That’s how it works in China, where more than 10 million third-party apps have official We Chat accounts.Tencent, however, sought a more strategic investment.As the Chinese Internet behemoth eyes North America, where its largest global competitor (rhymes with Lacehook) is mushrooming, it wants to better understand what drives chatters there.He mentioned Yahoo expressed interest in buying the company, for example.(Yahoo has no comment.) But he sees himself as the underdog in a fight that could shape the future of the Internet in ways he believes could be dangerous.They talk to their friends and colleagues on it, sure, but they also use it to buy movie tickets and order dinner.They follow social media stars, post and share photos, play the lottery, and shop on it.
We Chat is the Everything App for more than half a billion users in China, as my colleague David Pierce wrote recently.
“I made a list of everyone we could partner with or that could buy us,” he says.
Most sale options meant giving up too much autonomy for his comfort.
Earlier this year, Kik had its moment of reckoning.
Slowing growth had Livingston looking for a buyer or a strategic investment.