Over the last decade, super-apps like WeChat, Alipay, and LINE have taken Asian markets by storm. Could similar platforms soon be coming to the U.S.? Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other Western tech leaders have vocally shared aspirations of creating a “WeChat equivalent” but while it’s possible that the U.S. will develop some form of super-app, it’ll likely be more super-ish than truly super. In this piece, the authors outline several key factors that have kept super-apps from taking off in the U.S., as well as recent trends that may lead some form of super-app (or rather, a super-ish app) to emerge in the American market.
Meta has decided to shelve its work with NFTs and focus on other ways to help creators make money. It comes as the company tries to run a tighter ship to help it out in this worsening economy.