Is X going to launch a video conferencing tool?
In the latest step in its quest to become an “everything app,” Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is now exploring video conferencing.
X employee Chris Park shared a screenshot of the tool on his profile, which shows that the company recently conducted its first internal video call using the new tool, called X Conference.
Park claimed that initial feedback has been positive, and that the company plans to add features like speaker pinning and improved notifications for when users leave or join conversations. Developers are also likely working on reducing the amount of UI flickering between speaker views to prevent the speaker from seeing itself so often.
X Conference
Among the comments was a fire emoji of Musk himself, suggesting the post is pointing to an upcoming launch and not just a rumor.
App developers who investigated the new tool suggested that it could also be supported within the iOS app and that unique meeting codes could be added for better security.
This development follows X’s recent moves to take on platforms like LinkedIn for job postings and PayPal for payments. In the video conferencing space, the company is now targeting platforms like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
While this is a new feature, X already uses live video streaming via its Spaces feature. This feature could be integrated with X Conference, or at least be inspired by it.
However, the platform has also faced its fair share of criticism since Musk took over in late 2022, with users particularly concerned about the lack of proper IP masking and the enabled-by-default approach for the new calling feature.
Given the controversy surrounding the platform – and its ownership – the demand for an X-owned videoconferencing platform is unclear. But as hybrid and remote working continues to gain traction around the world (even if Musk isn’t a fan), there’s certainly room for another online collaboration tool.
