On Tuesday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told a large audience of coders that Facebook would not change “its DNA”. Also, Spiegel said that he is not concerned about the social media giant copying Snapchat’s features and integrating them into Instagram.
The executive underlined that Snapchat is more than “a bunch of features”. Instead, the messaging app has an “underlying philosophy” that makes it unique when compared to traditional social media services.
Spiegel blasted Facebook for having a business model that relies on users making tons of shallow friendships and competing against one another for “attention.” When Facebook users realize that they are caught in a rat race against their friends in the pursuit of likes and other forms of feedback they turn to services like Snapchat, according to Spiegel.
Snapchat is a service that encourages people to make actual friends and build connection with fewer users. It is quality over quantity.
Facebook Having a Hard Time Changing DNA
“Fundamentally, they’re having a hard time changing the DNA of their company,” Snap CEO said about Facebook. He added that Snap execs are flattered by Instagram’s imitation of their product’s features because it is a “triumph” for a developer to have a rival that can only copy its products and come with nothing new.
Spiegel also said that it would have been better if Facebook had “copied” his company’s data protection policies too. Snap does not rely on data collection. Snapchat appealed to users because it deleted the pictures sent via the app after a few seconds.
After the European Union passed a series of strict data protection laws, companies now have to copy Snapchat’s model and not store users’ data unnecessarily. What’s more, after Snap went public, the company revamped its long-term goals and values even though, in the short run, it hurt its bottom line.
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