Kuaishou ends US push by shutting down TikTok clone

Kuaishou also operates Kwai and SnackVideo apps for markets like Brazil and Indonesia, but Zynn represented its most direct effort to combat TikTok on its home turf. — Reuters

Kuaishou Technology will shut down its Zynn video-sharing app, marking the end of its ill-fated attempt to challenge ByteDance Ltd’s TikTok in the US.

The Chinese social media company told users in a notice Wednesday that the Zynn service will be terminated as of Aug 20. The app, a TikTok-lookalike launched for North American markets just last year, will remove all user data after a 45-day grace period following the shutdown, according to the notice. The firm confirmed the shutdown in an statement, adding that its other overseas products won’t be affected.

ByteDance’s closest rival in China has over the years tried to chip away at the international short-video market dominated by TikTok with a slew of products. Kuaishou also operates Kwai and SnackVideo apps for markets like Brazil and Indonesia, but Zynn represented its most direct effort to combat TikTok on its home turf. In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg News earlier this year, Kuaishou founder Su Hua admitted his firm wasn’t ready to take on the US after Zynn failed to gain traction.

In the first half, Zynn had fewer than half a million downloads, versus the 455 million installs TikTok recorded globally, according to researcher Sensor Tower. – Bloomberg