X is seemingly planning on entering the video-conferencing arms race.

Last week, one of X’s employees, Chris Park, shared that the company successfully held its first internal conference using a new video conferencing solution it’s apparently been working on. Park promoted it as a viable alternative to Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and AWS Chime and mentioned that the initial feedback from the team was positive. X owner Elon Musk replied to Park’s post with the fire emoji in an abstract confirmation of the solution’s development.

As a result, Park outlined that X is likely to develop new features for the service, such as the ability to pin speakers and improved notifications to indicate when people join or leave the conference.

Park said:

First ever Conference meeting with some of my great @X and @XDevelopers teammates. Already a really strong alternative to Google Hangouts, Zoom, AWS Chime, and certainly… Microsoft Teams.”

Techcrunch has highlighted that P4mui, an app expert on X, pinpointed several further similarities with other conferencing tools. They demonstrated that users will soon be able to create new meetings directly from the iOS app, allowing users to either start meetings instantly or schedule them later.

It also appears that the product may allow hosts to produce a unique meeting code that participants must enter upon joining.

The capability currently doesn’t have a release or rollout date.

Wait, Hadn’t X Already Introduced Video Conferencing?

Sort of. X users can live stream video through its Spaces service, while it added video calling capabilities to first its iOS app last October and then for Android in January. At the time, it was limited to just X premium users. Users had to stump up $8 a month or $84 a year for a Premium subscription. Although, all users could still receive audio and video calls at the time.

However, in February, X expanded its audio and video calling capabilities to all users. Users can access audio and video call options within the X platform’s DM settings tab and manage their call preferences through the settings page.

X Continues Its ‘Everything App’ Ambition

Park’s X post reaffirmed its intention to be the “everything app”, signalling its intention to compete with Teams, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Google Meet in the video conferencing space.

X faces a significant challenge in trying to catch up to the leaders in video conferencing. These platforms boast advanced features and robust functionality, while X is effectively beginning from scratch with this solution.

To truly compete with these industry giants, X would likely need to make substantial investments in technology and expertise, as well as dedicate time to resolving bugs and conducting thorough quality assurance testing. Additionally, the transformative impact of AI, illustrated in tools like Microsoft’s Copilot, Zoom’s AI Companion, and Google’s Gemini, could further widen the gap. While X is exploring its own AI research, it may find it challenging to keep pace with the rapid advancements made by its competitors.

It’s a similar scenario with X’s entry into audio and video calling. Musk’s bullishness about his platform’s potential to challenge competitors like WhatsApp saw him post on the platform that he was getting rid of his phone number. However, WhatsApp boasts sophisticated operations and comprehensive features, while X’s audio and video calling, even now available to all users, is currently limited in scope and only accessible on mobile devices.

Where X could have an advantage over its competitors is in what Musk and his team highlight: that it could represent the only platform that a particular user might need, comprising audio and video calls and conferences, social media, business messaging, online payments and job listings.

Time will tell whether X’s reinvention will see it indeed evolve into the essential “everything app” that a select audience will appreciate or become a jack of all trades and a master of none.



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