X

𝑿, (𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓) has about 240m daily active users (DAU) and so it makes absolute sense to transform into a SuperApp? Not quite.

While the Chinese App, WeChat and X are enabled for social networking, the similarities end there as the functionalities of WeChat extends far beyond what Twitter currently offers.

Musk has been fixated on an “everything app” since he took over X last year. However, there are a myriad of reasons why X may not succeed in its search to become this platform.

1. 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: To become a SuperApp, a platform needs a wide range of compatible services. In the West and other countries that have unhindered access to tech, many of these services are already established and might not be willing to integrate into a single SuperApp platform.

2. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: In China, users were comfortable integrating many aspects of their lives into a single platform like WeChat, which handles everything from payments to communication to entertainment. Western users, however, are used to having separate platforms for different needs. Changing this behavior might take more than just offering the functionality.

3. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬: Consumers often have long-standing relationships with banks and brands that a single app could struggle to replace. Would you leave Amazon for X? Your favourite bank or fintech for X?

4. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: China's regulatory environment has allowed the rapid growth and expansion of SuperApps. The West, with its stringent regulations on data protection (like GDPR in Europe) and competition (antitrust laws), may not allow a SuperApp to dominate the market in the same way.

5. 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭: Trust is a huge factor. Many users would be unlikely to give all their information to X. Trust is lacking. Recent scandals around data privacy have made Western users wary of giving too much information to a single company.

While there is a possibility of a Western SuperApp, the form it takes might be quite different from China's WeChat due to these and other factors.

A Western SuperApp might be more open, focused on integrating existing services in a user-friendly way. It may be more about creating an ecosystem that provides a seamless, integrated experience, and also respects user privacy and choice.

It is unlikely that X will be that App. But I may be wrong!