Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Social media platform Koo shuts down operations

Koo supported messaging in over 10 Indian languages

Social media platform Koo shuts down operations

INDIAN social media platform Koo is shutting down operations permanently, the company's co-founder Mayank Bidawatka announced on Wednesday (3).

Koo was initially launched to give an alternate option to users speaking different Indian languages and in a way act as rival to giant global platform X.


The founders cited lack of funding and high technology costs as reasons for the shutdown.

Koo, which launched in 2020, supported messaging in over 10 Indian languages and gained popularity in 2021. This rise was fuelled by endorsements from several ministers during a dispute between the Indian government and X, then known as Twitter.

The conflict began when prime minister Narendra Modi's government asked Twitter to block accounts accused of spreading fake news, including those of journalists, news organisations, and opposition politicians.

Twitter initially complied but later restored the accounts, saying there was "insufficient justification" for the blocks. This led to threats of legal action against X employees in India from the government.

In the midst of the dispute, many supporters, ministers, and officials from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved to Koo, promoting hashtags to ban X in India. By the end of 2021, Koo had reached 20 million downloads in the country.

Despite its early success, Koo has struggled to secure funding in recent years.

Founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Bidawatka mentioned on LinkedIn that Koo was close to surpassing X in India by 2022, but a "prolonged funding winter" forced them to scale back their ambitions.

They explored partnerships with larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses, but these talks didn't lead to desired outcomes.

In February, Indian news websites reported that Koo was in talks to be acquired by news aggregator Dailyhunt, but the negotiations failed. By April 2023, Koo had to lay off 30 per cent of its 260 employees due to significant losses and lack of funding.

The founders expressed their desire to keep the app running but ultimately decided to shut it down because of the high costs associated with maintaining technology services.

"Social media is probably one of the toughest companies to build even with all resources available as you need to grow users to a significant scale before one thinks of revenue. We needed five to six years of aggressive, long term and patient capital to make this dream a reality,"said the founders.

"Koo could have easily scaled internationally and given India a global brand that was truly made in India. This dream will remain."

(with inputs from ANI)

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less