In the latest step in its quest to become an “app for everything,” Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is now exploring video conferencing.
X employee Chris Park shared a screenshot of the tool on his profile, revealing that the company recently held its first internal video call using the new tool, dubbed X Conference.
Park said initial feedback has been positive and the company plans to add features like speaker pinning and improved notifications for when users leave or join calls. Developers are also likely working to reduce how often the interface flickers between speaker views to prevent speakers from seeing themselves as often.
X Conference
Among the comments was a fire emoji from Musk himself, suggesting the post is indicative of an upcoming launch and not just a rumor.
App developers exploring the new tool suggested that it could also be compatible with the iOS app and that one-time meeting codes could be added to improve security.
This development follows recent moves by X to challenge platforms like LinkedIn for job listings and PayPal for payments, with the company now setting its sights on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams in the video meetings space.
Despite being a new feature, X is already using live video streaming through the Spaces feature, which could integrate with X Conference, if not at least inspire it.
However, the platform has not been free from criticism since Musk's acquisition in late 2022. Specifically, users have expressed concerns about the lack of proper IP masking and the default-on approach to the new calling feature.
Given the controversy surrounding the platform (and its ownership), the demand for an X-owned video conferencing platform is unclear; however, with hybrid and remote work still popular around the world (even if Musk isn't a fan), there's certainly room for one more online collaboration tool in the space.
