Koo Shuts Down: Founders Say Goodbye To Homegrown Platform

Social media platform Koo, once positioned as a rival and viable alternative to Twitter (now X), is shutting down. On Wednesday, the co-founders penned a heartfelt note about making tough decisions and the little yellow bird bidding a "final goodbye."

In a LinkedIn post, co-founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka announced that the platform would discontinue its services to the public. They explained that efforts to secure partnerships with larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses had not yielded the desired outcomes. "We explored partnerships with multiple larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses, but these talks didn't yield the outcome we wanted," the note stated.

Although they wished to keep the app running, the duo cited high technology service costs as a significant factor in their tough decision.

At its peak, Koo boasted about 2.1 million daily active users, 10 million monthly active users, and over 9,000 VIPs, including prominent personalities from various fields.

"We were just months away from beating Twitter in India in 2022 and could have doubled down on that short-term goal with capital behind us," they reflected.

However, a funding winter struck the company at its peak, hampering plans and forcing the platform to "tone down" its growth trajectory.

"Unfortunately for us, the mood of the market and the funding winter got the better of us," the note mentioned, with the founders signing off by saying, "the little yellow bird says its final goodbye," referencing Koo's yellow bird logo.

Koo's popularity in India surged around 2021 amid the Indian government's conflict with Twitter (now X) and growing calls to expand the ecosystem of homegrown digital platforms. During this period, Koo saw growth in user metrics as union ministers and government departments endorsed the platform.