Snap's Rollback of Redesign May Signal an Identity Crisis
*By Britt Terrell*
Snap is doing something that is unprecedented in social media. The maker of Snapchat has answered angry users' protests and revamped its app to make it more similar to the original version.
"It's a sign of humility in a way for Snapchat," said Marty Swant, a staff writer at Adweek. "In a way, I wonder if they have a bit of an identity crisis."
Is Snap making a tool for publishers or is the app catering to its core users?
Snapchat's 2017 redesign was meant to bring more people to its publishing page. But loyal users revolted: A petition called for the app maker to revert to the old design, the platform saw its user growth [decline in the last quarter](http://deadline.com/2018/05/snap-inc-snapchat-slowest-growth-earnings-stock-plunges-1202380663/).
As Snap's stock continues to plummet ーit's down nearly 50 percent year-over-year ー the company must figure out ways to appeal to advertisers.
"I think the big picture that Snapchat has now is their ads are a lot more creative than the ads you're seeing on Instagram stories - Snapchat's main competitor," said Swant in an interview Monday with Cheddar. "They're just cooler looking, they're more engaging. I think that's a big play, but the question is, do users actually spend time with them?"
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/snap-redesigns-its-redesign).
Peloton is reportedly drawing interest from multiple suitors. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is considering acquiring the exercise bike company as it looks to expand into the health and wellness technology industry. Hatem Dhiab, managing partner at Gerber Kawasaki, joined Cheddar to discuss Peloton's future and which company might be its best bet as a buyer.
Amazon shares jumped north of 13 percent in after-hours trading as the E-commerce giant posted a beat on earnings in its fourth quarter. Amazon saw particular success in its cloud computing business, as well as its stake in EV startup, Rivian after its massive IPO. Deren Baker, CEO, Edge by Ascential joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Google parent company Alphabet reporting a beat on its Q4 earnings report, with revenue up 32%. The company's strong quarter was thanks to success in its cloud and advertising businesses, which both saw solid year-over-year growth. Angelo Zino, Senior Industry Analyst, CFRA Research joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the tech giant's blowout results.
'Pixstory' is an integrity-based social media platform providing a space for healthy dialogue. It was designed to fight misinformation, hate speech, and other forms of toxicity. NBA champion and Pixstory brand ambassador, Dwight Howard, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
