Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is once again copying an idea pioneered by a competitor, this time creating an audio chatroom function akin to the popular app Clubhouse.
Facebook announced on Monday that the social media giant would be rolling out "live audio rooms" on its platform to allow Facebook users a similar function to Clubhouse, allowing for "drop-in, drop-out" invitation-only audio chatrooms. Facebook is currently testing the features in particular groups but is set to make it available to all users this summer.
"We think that audio is, of course, also going to be a first-class medium, and there are all these different products to be built across this whole spectrum," CEO and Co-Founder Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview.
Other features included in the platform are monetization for creators; users will be allowed to charge for access to their audio rooms. Users will also be able to make "Soundbites," short-form audio clips that will be curated and fed to users based on their interests. Soundbites users will have access to in-platform editing tools and may be able to monetize their creations as well, as Facebook intends to set aside a fund to pay creators for their soundbite contributions.
Facebook also has plans to include a podcast feature and Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) integration that would allow musicians to share their music directly through the platform.
The creation of a Clubhouse-like platform on Facebook is par for the course, especially when one considers that Mark Zuckerberg himself admitted last year to the House Antitrust Subcommittee that the company had blatantly copied its competition. Previously, the company had created products that capitalized on mediums pioneered by competitors such as ByteDance owned TikTok, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) owned YouTube, and Snap Inc-owned Snapchat (NYSE: SNAP).
The announcement seemingly did not affect Facebook's stock, with the social media firm slipping just under 1% on Monday. Facebook recovered slightly on Tuesday, gaining $0.13.