Sorry, But Snapchat Is Not Bringing Back the Old Design
If early reviews are any indication, Snap’s decision to overhaul its messaging app may have backfired with its key teen demographic.
And Daily Beast reporter Taylor Lorenz says the changes may not bring in enough “older” users over the age of 25 to make up the difference.
“It’s going to have to provide a more compelling use case for them,” she told Cheddar. “Older users are not looking to chat on it. A lot of them use other chat platforms -- Stories has been taken over by Instagram.”
Snap has seen backlash from younger users over a complete redesign that was rolled out globally last week. When announcing the new look, CEO Evan Spiegel said the changes separate the platform from the rest of social media and strengthen its relationship with users and the media.
Lorenz says that could mean the app becomes more of news destination, but whether the strategy pays off remains to be seen.
“They’re hoping to have 10 thousand tiles on the right hand side, so that’s a big opportunity to sell ad inventory. But I think they’re going to need to come up with more unique products, and I think they’re going to have a really hard time competing with Facebook and Instagram who have so much data.”
And for those hoping the company will revert to its old design, Lorenz says not to hold their breath.
“There is less than a zero chance, I’m so sorry to all the youngsters out there. There’s no going back, unfortunately, for them.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/snapchats-teen-revolt).
Stocks closed at session lows Thursday, mostly due to a larger tech selloff after Facebook parent company Meta reported weak earnings results one day before. The Nasdaq closed down nearly 4% for its worst day since September 2020. Erin Gibbs, Chief Investment Officer at Main Street Asset Management, joins Closing Bell to discuss today's close, Meta earnings, Amazon earnings, and more
Spotify beat fourth quarter earnings expectations, and also reported a jump in monthly active users and in paid subscribers. The report comes as the company grapples with a new question: is it simply a streaming platform, or is it a media company responsible for the content it posts, like Joe Rogan's controversial podcast? Greg Martin, Co-Founder of Rainmaker Securities, joins Closing Bell to discuss why the stock took a hit even though earnings results were positive, how the company can move forward through the Rogan controversy, and more.
Chen Arad, Chief Operating Officer for Solidus Labs, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why Wormhole was particularly vulnerable to a $320+ million crypto hack and discusses what new investors need to do in order to protect their assets.
E-commerce platform for construction and building materials RenoRun has raised $142 million in a Series B round, which the company says is the fourth largest Series B round in Canadian history. RenoRun’s platform offers same-day delivery of construction materials to job sites in Canada and the United States. The company aims to revolutionize the construction industry by maximizing productivity and efficiency. RenoRun co-founder and CEO Eamonn O’Rourke joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Facebook parent company Meta reported weaker-than-expected fourth quarter earnings, and also issued disappointing guidance for Q1 2022. The tech giant is also under pressure due to Apple's iOS privacy change, as well as continued multi-billion dollar losses for its metaverse focused business unit. Angelo Zino, Tech Analyst at CFRA Research, joins Closing Bell to discuss the earnings results, how Apple's iOS privacy change will impact revenue, whether the metaverse is an underrated investment opportunity, and more.
Rental prices are rising across the country, causing millions to relocate. Average rents rose 14 percent last year, and Americans expect rents will continue to rise by about 10 percent just this year. Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The video game industry has seen monumental growth the past few years - with an increasing amount of companies jumping head first into the space. In January alone, Microsoft announced its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard, game publisher Take-Two agreed to buy Zynga, and most recently, Sony announced it has agreed to buy game developer Bungie for $3.6 billion. Tobias Batton, CEO and founder of Ex Populus, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss the surge in M&A activity in the gaming space.
Facebook parent Meta reported disappointing results in its first quarterly earnings report since rebranding to focus on the metaverse. The tech giant delivered mixed results with quarterly profit falling well below Wall Street expectations. Shares plunged more than 20 percent in after hours trading as a result. Martin Garner, COO of CCS Insight, joined Cheddar Movers to break down the company's results.
Karyn Cavanaugh, Chief Investment Officer at Carolinas Wealth Management, breaks down which industries investors should watch this earnings season and highlights which sectors have upside potential.
