Is Facebook building its own audio-chat app to rival Clubhouse?

It’s been less than a week since Mark Zuckerberg made a guest appearance on audio-chat app Clubhouse and now, according to a report from The New York Times, Facebook is building its own version.

Two sources “with knowledge of the matter” say the social network’s new product “aims to expand into new forms of communication,” which is just another way to say “audio.” That format, which Clubhouse is built upon, is something Facebook has yet to tap into with its suite of products.  

If you’re unfamiliar with Clubhouse, there are only a few things you really need to know: It’s a social media app that launched just last year. It’s invite-only. And it’s home to a lot of controversy due to its lack of content moderation.  

Over the last few months, it’s managed to quickly rise in popularity and even attract celebrity appearances from the likes of Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, Drake, and Elon Musk, to name a few. So it makes sense that a tech giant like Facebook would want to create its own version.

The same two sources told the NYT that Facebook executives have “ordered employees to create a similar product.” However, it’s currently in the early stages of development, so it’s not likely we’ll see it released any time soon. The report doesn’t mention any details when it comes to features, either. 

It’s no secret that Facebook has a history of being a copycat when it comes to upstart social media companies. Whenever a new feature or app starts to gain traction (and encroach upon Facebook’s dominance), Zuck and co. have frequently found a way to quickly craft a Facebook-owned version. We’ve seen it happen with Instagram’s “Stories,” a format that originally started with Snapchat, and short-form video “Reels,” a phenomenon that began with TikTok. So it’s safe to say that whatever Facebook cooks up will likely be almost identical to Clubhouse’s format.

Whether it’ll be as exclusive and controversial remains to be seen, though. Judging by Facebook’s infamous track record regarding content moderation and spreading misinformation, one might think the company would see it best to sit this one out. 

But I guess Zuck thinks otherwise.