The app made its debut last March, just as people
were being ordered to stay at home to battle the
pandemic and found themselves eager to talk to
other people besides their family or roommates.
WHY IS IT GETTING MORE
ATTENTION NOW?
The primary reason is probably that Musk and
Zuckerberg recently made surprise appearances
on Clubhouse. When two technology icons worth
a combined $280 billion choose to use the same
app to get their message out within a few days of
each other, people tend to sit up and take notice.
In his January 31 appearance, Musk began by
discussing his mission to get to Mars through
its rocket ship company Space X and sharing his
views on cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence
and the ongoing pandemic. But then he rocked
the Clubhouse by summoning Robinhood CEO
Vlad Tenev for to the virtual stage for an interview
about the app’s role in transforming GameStop’s
stock from a dud into a Wall Street sensation that
at least briefly devastated sophisticated investors
who had bet the shares would continue to decline.
That interview illustrated two points that are
important to remember about Clubhouse.
Although the app itself says it doesn’t record
the discussions occurring within its rooms, that
doesn’t mean other participants aren’t. And
the posted recordings of discussions like that
also prove there are ways for getting around
Clubhouse’s 5,000-person limit in its rooms.
Zuckerberg’s February 4 appearance on
Clubhouse didn’t delve into anything quite as
hot as the GameStop frenzy, but his presence still
added to the curiosity about the app.