Friday, 24 March, 2023

SoftBank-backed WhatsApp rival Hike shuts down

<p>Messaging app Hike, backed by SoftBank and Tencent, shut down and vanished from app stores. The startup founded by billionaire-family scion Kavin Bharti Mittal valued at $1.4 bn in a 2016 funding round decided to go off the air without explanation. On Jan. 6, Mittal -- son of Sunil Bharti Mittal -- announced the closure. &ldquo;India won&rsquo;t have its own messenger,&rdquo; Mittal wrote on Twitter. &ldquo;Global network effects are too strong (unless India bans Western companies.)&rdquo;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>