<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
is	O
a	O
social	O
audio	O
app	B-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
where	O
users	O
can	O
communicate	O
in	O
audio	O
chat	O
rooms	O
that	O
accommodate	O
groups	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
led	O
to	O
the	O
emergence	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
social	O
media	O
segment	O
known	O
as	O
social	O
audio	O
or	O
drop-in	O
audio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
being	O
the	O
pioneer	O
in	O
this	O
segment	O
,	O
all	O
competitors	O
eventually	O
adapted	O
its	O
features	O
to	O
their	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
began	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
media	O
startup	O
by	O
founders	O
Paul	O
Davison	O
and	O
Rohan	O
Seth	O
in	O
Fall	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
designed	O
for	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
under	O
the	O
name	O
Talkshow	O
,	O
the	O
app	B-Application
was	O
rebranded	O
as	O
"	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
"	O
and	O
officially	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
in	O
March	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
was	O
valued	O
at	O
$100	O
million	O
after	O
receiving	O
funding	O
from	O
notable	O
angel	O
investors	O
,	O
including	O
Ryan	O
Hoover	O
(	O
Product	B-Operating_System
Hunt	I-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
Balaji	O
Srinivasan	O
(	O
Coinbase	O
)	O
,	O
James	O
Beshara	O
(	O
Tilt.com	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
venture	O
capitalists	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
$12	O
million	O
Series	O
A	O
investment	O
from	O
the	O
venture	O
capital	O
firm	O
,	O
Andreessen	O
Horowitz	O
,	O
in	O
May	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
months	O
of	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
and	O
had	O
600,000	O
registered	O
users	O
by	O
December	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
CEO	O
Paul	O
Davison	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
app	B-Application
's	O
active	O
weekly	O
user	O
base	O
consisted	O
of	O
approximately	O
2	O
million	O
individuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
begin	O
working	O
on	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
the	O
app	B-Application
became	O
widely	O
used	O
in	O
Germany	O
when	O
German	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
hosts	O
Philipp	O
Klöckner	O
and	O
Philipp	O
Gloeckler	O
started	O
an	O
invite-chain	O
over	O
a	O
Telegram	B-Application
group	O
,	O
bringing	O
German	O
influencers	O
,	O
journalists	O
,	O
and	O
politicians	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
also	O
raised	O
their	O
Series	O
B	O
at	O
a	O
$1	O
billion	O
valuation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
had	O
an	O
estimated	O
3.5	O
million	O
downloads	O
globally	O
and	O
grew	O
rapidly	O
to	O
8.1	O
million	O
downloads	O
by	O
February	O
15	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
significant	O
growth	O
in	O
popularity	O
occurred	O
after	O
celebrities	O
such	O
as	O
Elon	O
Musk	O
and	O
Mark	O
Zuckerberg	O
made	O
appearances	O
on	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
hired	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
Software	I-Application
Developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
app	B-Application
's	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
weekly	O
active	O
users	O
was	O
greater	O
than	O
10	O
million	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
user	O
base	O
declined	O
21%	O
during	O
three	O
weeks	O
from	O
late	O
February	O
to	O
early	O
March	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decline	O
is	O
reportedly	O
caused	O
by	O
a	O
decrease	O
in	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
users	O
after	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
initial	O
rollout	O
,	O
the	O
app	B-Application
was	O
accessible	O
only	O
by	O
invitation	O
,	O
and	O
invitation	O
codes	O
on	O
eBay	B-Application
were	O
selling	O
at	O
up	O
to	O
$400	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
5	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
Stripe	B-Application
to	O
launch	O
its	O
first	O
monetizing	O
feature	O
called	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
Payments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
had	O
entered	O
discussions	O
to	O
purchase	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
for	O
$4	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
also	O
received	O
interest	O
in	O
a	O
partnership	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
National	O
Football	O
League	O
announcing	O
a	O
content	O
deal	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
9	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
app	B-Application
for	O
users	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
became	O
available	O
worldwide	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
partnership	O
with	O
TED	O
to	O
offer	O
exclusive	O
talks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
new	O
features	O
called	O
"	O
Replays	O
and	O
Clips	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
rolled	O
out	O
a	O
new	O
dark	O
mode	O
on	O
its	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
feature	O
of	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
is	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
virtual	O
“	O
rooms	O
”	O
in	O
which	O
users	O
can	O
communicate	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
via	O
audio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
“	O
Open	O
rooms	O
”	O
can	O
be	O
joined	O
by	O
anyone	O
on	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
,	O
and	O
all	O
rooms	O
default	O
to	O
this	O
setting	O
on	O
creation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
exit	O
a	O
room	O
by	O
tapping	O
the	O
“	O
leave	O
quietly	O
”	O
button	O
or	O
the	O
peace	O
sign	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
is	O
now	O
rolling	O
out	O
Houses	O
,	O
a	O
private	O
space	O
where	O
people	O
can	O
gather	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
larger	O
"	O
rooms	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
lot	O
of	O
conversations	O
in	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
happen	O
spontaneously	O
,	O
but	O
users	O
can	O
schedule	O
conversations	O
by	O
creating	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
an	O
event	O
is	O
created	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
“	O
bulletin.	O
”	O
The	O
bulletin	O
displays	O
upcoming	O
scheduled	O
events	O
and	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
set	O
notifications	O
for	O
events	O
by	O
clicking	O
the	O
bell	O
icon	O
corresponding	O
to	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
,	O
clubs	O
are	O
user	O
communities	O
that	O
regularly	O
discuss	O
a	O
common	O
interest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
clubs	O
are	O
present	O
in	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
representing	O
a	O
wide	O
array	O
of	O
topics	O
and	O
users	O
can	O
find	O
clubs	O
by	O
name	O
under	O
the	O
search	O
tab	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Backchannel	O
feature	O
was	O
initially	O
leaked	O
on	O
June	O
18	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
Greenroom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
notable	O
because	O
,	O
until	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
was	O
voice	O
only	O
with	O
no	O
way	O
to	O
hyperlink	O
or	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
entirely	O
dependent	O
on	O
Instagram	O
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
for	O
text	O
messaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
was	O
initially	O
leaked	O
in	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
company	O
says	O
was	O
an	O
accident	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
,	O
after	O
multiple	O
failed	O
attempts	O
,	O
the	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
Backchannel	O
finally	O
launched	O
on	O
July	O
14	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
homepage	O
of	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
provides	O
access	O
to	O
ongoing	O
chat	O
rooms	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
recommended	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
people	O
and	O
clubs	O
that	O
are	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
direct	O
payment	O
service	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
app	B-Application
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
send	O
money	O
to	O
content	O
creators	O
who	O
had	O
enabled	O
this	O
functionality	O
in	O
their	O
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
will	O
also	O
be	O
charged	O
a	O
small	O
card	O
processing	O
fee	O
according	O
to	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
's	O
payment	O
processing	O
partner	O
,	O
Stripe	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
Creator	O
First	O
is	O
an	O
accelerator	O
program	O
intended	O
to	O
help	O
content	O
creators	O
on	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
build	O
their	O
audience	O
and	O
monetize	O
their	O
content	O
with	O
a	O
direct	O
payment	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
app	B-Application
icon	O
is	O
a	O
regularly	O
changing	O
grayscale	O
profile	O
photo	O
of	O
a	O
social	O
change	O
leader	O
and	O
platform	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
unique	O
in	O
app	B-Application
development	O
,	O
as	O
most	O
companies	O
hire	O
a	O
designer	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
icon	O
,	O
whereas	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
harvests	O
user	O
photos	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
may	O
be	O
one	O
way	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
provide	O
less	O
scheduled	O
and	O
more	O
personal	O
interactions	O
on	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
app	B-Application
is	O
available	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
download	O
the	O
App	B-Application
from	O
their	O
respective	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Android	B-Application
customer	O
requires	O
Android	B-Application
7	I-Application
or	O
above	O
to	O
launch	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
iOS	B-Application
consumers	O
need	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
13	I-Operating_System
or	O
later	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pierre	O
Stanislas	O
and	O
Philippe	O
Breuils	O
have	O
developed	O
a	O
free	O
third-party	O
desktop	O
client	O
(	O
Mac	O
and	O
Windows	O
)	O
for	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
,	O
called	O
Clubdeck	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
app	B-Application
is	O
noteworthy	O
because	O
it	O
provides	O
multiple	O
features	O
not	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
official	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
app	B-Application
,	O
including	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
add	O
a	O
soundboard	O
to	O
your	O
rooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
Android	B-Application
app	B-Application
is	O
written	O
in	O
Kotlin	B-Language
while	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
app	B-Application
is	O
written	O
in	O
React	B-Application
Native	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
backend	B-Architecture
for	O
the	O
app	B-Application
is	O
written	O
in	O
Python	B-Language
and	O
Django	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
runs	O
on	O
a	O
Gunicorn	B-Application
server	O
with	O
HAProxy	B-Language
for	O
load	O
balancing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Presently	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
works	O
using	O
funds	O
supplied	O
by	O
its	O
investors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
personalities	O
were	O
signed	O
by	O
Endeavor	O
to	O
talent	O
representation	O
contracts	O
:	O
Nait	O
Jones	O
and	O
NYU	O
Girls	O
Roasting	O
Tech	O
Guys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
social	O
audio	O
apps	O
like	O
Discord	O
Stage	O
Channels	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
Live	O
Audio	O
Rooms	O
,	O
Reddit	O
Talk	O
,	O
Slack	O
Huddles	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
Greenroom	I-Application
,	O
Telegram	B-Application
Voice	O
Chats	O
,	O
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
Spaces	O
all	O
directly	O
compete	O
with	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
records	O
audio	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	O
rooms	O
to	O
support	O
incident	O
investigations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
discussion	O
is	O
reported	O
of	O
violating	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
's	O
rules	O
,	O
the	O
audio	O
of	O
the	O
associated	O
room	O
will	O
be	O
reviewed	O
by	O
the	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
does	O
not	O
explicitly	O
explain	O
the	O
review	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
an	O
SQL	O
database	O
with	O
1.3	O
million	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
user	O
records	O
was	O
published	O
on	O
a	O
hacker	O
forum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
issued	O
a	O
statement	O
on	O
the	O
incident	O
on	O
social	O
media	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
experience	O
a	O
breach	O
of	O
their	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
data	O
is	O
already	O
accessible	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
anyone	O
through	O
their	O
application	O
or	O
API	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
China	O
banned	B-Application
Clubhouse	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
ban	O
,	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
attracted	O
a	O
significant	O
amount	O
of	O
Chinese	O
users	O
to	O
discuss	O
various	O
topics	O
,	O
including	O
politically	O
sensitive	O
topics	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
protests	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
and	O
the	O
political	O
status	O
of	O
Taiwan	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
main	O
reason	O
for	O
ban	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
UAE	O
reportedly	O
throttled	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
app	B-Application
,	O
making	O
access	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
impossible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
mid-month	O
,	O
Oman	O
blocked	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
for	O
not	O
having	O
a	O
proper	O
license	O
to	O
operate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jordan	O
also	O
blocked	O
the	O
app	B-Application
for	O
conducting	O
sensitive	O
conversations	O
late	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
Guidelines	O
forbid	O
the	O
recording	O
,	O
transcription	O
,	O
reproduction	O
,	O
or	O
sharing	O
of	O
conversations	O
without	O
explicit	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
source	O
of	O
controversy	O
as	O
cases	O
of	O
bullying	O
,	O
harassment	O
,	O
and	O
racism	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
antisemitism	O
,	O
have	O
occurred	O
on	O
the	O
app	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clubhouse	B-Application
is	O
known	O
to	O
harbor	O
various	O
hate	O
rallies	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
spreading	O
antisemitism	O
,	O
Islamophobia	O
,	O
Hinduphobia	O
,	O
and	O
incel	O
ideology	O
.	O
</s>
