Get the latest tech news
The Creator of Houseparty Is Back. This Time He’s Taking on Slack and Discord
Ben Rubin, cocreator of hit pandemic chat app Houseparty, has launched a new group messaging platform that aims to solve the problems undermining trust in public conversation—using blockchain. If it fails, that’s OK by him.
The cocreator of Houseparty, Ben Rubin, who sold the app to Epic Games in 2019 for a reported $35 million, says he is still searching for answers to the question he was probing back then: How can the digital world be turned into a stage for interactions that wouldn’t otherwise be possible? He believes the ability for someone to prove that they are a real person using blockchain-based credentials, meanwhile, could help to minimize the opportunity for malicious actors to manipulate public discourse with bots. Rubin spoke to WIRED about his plan for putting that vision into practice and navigating the thorny problems—around moderation, policing misuse, and echo chamber effects—that have dogged the incumbents he now hopes Towns can overthrow.
Or read this on Wired
