India’s Koo Becomes World’s Second-Largest Micro-Blog
Koo (social network) 
Koo was launched in 2020 – just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning – and ever since, it has witnessed a huge inflow of new users, especially after many politicians, celebrities and other public figures in India switched to it after rival Twitter refused to follow the Indian government’s order to block certain content on the platform.Only two-and-a-half years since its launch, the Indian Koo micro-blogging platform is now the second-largest one in the world.After Elon Musk officially took the reins at Twitter, the platform experienced another wave of followers, as users rushed to explore other plaforms, unhappy with the changes the US billionaire has planned for Twitter – including fees for services that used to be free of charge.Koo, which recently registered 50 million downloads, also has a bird as its logo – but it’s yellow. One of its unique features, however, is that it allows users to communicate in at least 10 languages.Commenting on its success, Koo’s co-founders revealed that Koo is the only social media network competing with other global giants, such as Twitter, Gettr, Truth Social, Mastodon and Parler, although they are not going to stop at this point: Koo is eager to boost its audience further by adding more new global languages and expand to new countries.
"Since the launch, our users have believed in us. Not only have they given us the opportunity to grow and drive digital expression in regional languages, but have grown with us by engaging in meaningful conversations on the platform. This is true empowerment for the common citizen. We will continue to invest in our product with a user-first mindset and further drive digital independence for users in India and across the world. Until recently we have been available in many countries, but now we are happy to invite a larger global audience to our platform and enjoy a more immersive experience,” Aprameya Radhakrishna, chief executive and co-founder said in a press release.
Being built on a language-first approach, Koo not only provides an opportunity for like-minded users to engage in conversations in their regional language, but it also does not charge users for special services, such as self-verification.
"Given the changes occurring in the micro-blogging landscape globally, we are looking to spread our wings to countries where fundamental rights are being charged for," Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder, says.
“We believe that such fundamental tools on the internet should not come at a cost. Connecting and communicating with each other in a secure manner or proving your identity is a fundamental right. Koo has always provided a free yellow tick to eminent personalities, and a simple self-verification tool to every citizen – and will continue to do so. We are very excited about inviting a larger global audience to this proudly ‘Made in India’ product.”
