New Delhi: Koo, the Indian social media platform designed to compete with Twitter, is closing its doors. Founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka announced the shutdown, attributing it to unsuccessful partnership negotiations and the high costs associated with technology maintenance. The company began significant layoffs in April 2023.
At its height, Koo boasted approximately 2.1 million daily active users and 10 million monthly users, including over 9,000 VIPs. Despite these impressive figures, financial challenges and an extended period of funding shortages forced the platform to scale back. The founders pointed to the unpredictable capital market and steep technology costs as key issues.
They also mentioned plans to sell some of the company’s assets, hoping to pass them on to someone with a strong vision for India’s social media future. The founders’ note emphasized their pride in building a globally scalable product quickly, with advanced systems, algorithms, and a stakeholder-first approach. The platform gained significant traction following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.
In their farewell message, the founders expressed gratitude to their supporters, team, investors, creators, and users, maintaining optimism for future ventures. They praised their dedicated team and hinted at a possible return to entrepreneurship. “As for us, we are entrepreneurs at heart and you will see us back in the arena one way or another. Till then, thank you for your time, attention, good wishes, and love. The little yellow bird says its final goodbye.”
