Facebook Exploring Audio-Chat Products to Rival Clubhouse

  • The company is looking into multiple features related to audio
  • One option involves Facebook’s competitor to Zoom called Rooms
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Facebook Inc. has multiple internal teams researching audio-related chat products that could eventually rival the upstart Clubhouse service, according to people familiar with the efforts.

One possible product involves Messenger Rooms, the video chat feature Facebook introduced last year to compete with the service from Zoom Video Communications Inc. It’s possible users could one day use Rooms to broadcast conversations in a more public way, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. While it’s possible to turn off video during a Rooms call, the feature currently has a 50-person limit. Clubhouse discussions can be broadcast to thousands of people.