Invitation only app Clubhouse has tech titans talking


Q: What is Clubhouse?



Q: How do I get in?



Once you have an invitation, you can import your Twitter profile — or start from scratch — and then follow people or “clubs“ on a broad range of topics. The app encourages people to use their real names, though this does not appear to be enforced. You’ll also need an iPhone — Clubhouse doesn’t yet work on Android phones and is not on the web.

Q: Who made Clubhouse?

A: It was created by San Francisco entrepreneur Paul Davison, best known for a location-driven social networking app, Highlight, that Pinterest bought in 2016, and a former Google engineer, Rohan Seth. Although it obviously wasn’t planned, they probably couldn’t have picked a better time to start welcoming a select few into Clubhouse. The app made its debut last March, just as people were being ordered to stay at home to battle the pandemic and found themselves eager to talk to other people besides their family or roommates.

Q: Why is it getting more attention now?


In his Jan. 31 appearance, Musk began by discussing his mission to get to Mars through its rocket ship company Space X and sharing his views on cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and the ongoing pandemic. But then he rocked the Clubhouse by summoning Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev to the virtual stage for an interview about the app’s role in transforming GameStop’s stock from a dud into a Wall Street sensation that at least briefly devastated sophisticated investors who had bet the shares would continue to decline.



Q: So is it all tech industry people?

A: While the early users of Clubhouse were largely venture capitalists and startup folks, as the app’s user base has expanded so has the diversity of its members. Users can now explore subjects such as “Ask A Coach: Life, Love & The Pursuit of Joy, Money/Health,“ “Bitcoin Basics for Baby Boomers,“ “Drag Race Clubhaus,“ “Investing While Black“ and “Plant-Based Basics for Beginners with Dietitian Jasmine.”

Marc Andreessen’s participation is notable because his Menlo Park venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, invested in Clubhouse. Many Andreessen partners are participating in Clubhouse and have drawn interest from startup founders who may hope the prestigious firm will fund them, too.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin joined after some Clubhouse members discussed his policies in an audio chat. Mayor London Breed also has an account. Felicia Horowitz, the wife of Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz, invited Breed to join.

Q: What happened in China?




Q: What’s next for Clubhouse?

A: Clubhouse faces competition. Twitter has already created a social audio chat feature called Spaces, which is also in invitation-only mode. And Facebook reportedly is thinking about creating its own audio chat app. But it’s often hard for big companies to recreate the exact vibe of a social app’s community.

San Francisco Chronicle staff contributed to this report.

Barbara Ortutay and Michael Liedtke are Associated Press writers.