Daniel Gross on the future of messaging platforms.
Cocoon launched just recently and we’re looking at a couple of projects in that area right now.
On first blush, WhatsApp seems like an incredibly durable business. Strong network effects. Incredible distribution. An unassailable giant. But WhatsApp wasn’t the first messaging app, nor will it be the last.
I don’t know about you, but my time is increasingly in messaging small groups, not Facebook. Small groups are the new social networks. The next counter-cycle to the giant island of Facebook and Twitter will be an archipelago of different groups, one for each niche and community. Mobile distribution has gotten quite good. Downloading an app is almost as easy as joining a WhatsApp group. If you made something good, it’d spread quite rapidly amongst a small group.