Wednesday, 20 August, 2025
Hike Founder Cites WhatsApp’s Unbeatable Network Effect as Reason for App’s Shutdown
Kavin Bharti Mittal, founder of Hike, explained on X (formerly Twitter) that despite Hike having over 20 million active users at shutdown, it couldn’t overcome the overwhelming global network effect held by platforms like WhatsApp. He noted, “Just because we’re very good at something, doesn’t mean we can win.” Mittal added that India’s evolving consumer behavior, costly business model, and unclear ROI made sustaining a messaging app especially tough.