Alibaba's PayPal Expands Social and Content Capabilities with TikTok and Little Red Book Talent

The Chinese tech giant is no stranger to the world of content, having launched its own short-video platform, Ulike, in 2017. However, the app failed to gain traction and was eventually shut down. Now, Alibaba is aiming to make use of ex-TikTok and Little Red Book employees to help build its social media play. Most of the recruited staff will fill roles such as operational and advertising positions - bolstering its internal content team.

According to reports, the company is also testing a new feature called "Interest Community" within its app. This new feature will allow users to create and participate in interest-based groups, similar to those seen on Facebook and WeChat. The new interface will be accessible from the main message page and include a variety of interest groups such as coffee, alcohol, hiking, baseball, camping, fishing, and cycling. Users can join these local interest groups and participate in group activities.

Although the move has been seen as a bold one from a company that is typically known for its e-commerce platform, some users have expressed their skepticism and concerns over the introduction of social features. They argue that PayPal has primarily been a payment app and introducing these new features could lead to privacy and security concerns.

A recent user on Weibo posted, "PayPal should just focus on keeping our money safe, instead of trying to compete with other social media platforms." Another user added, "Why does PayPal want to become a social media platform? It's just going to make the app slow and clunky."

Despite the skepticism, Alibaba's move to integrate social and content features into its app makes sense, given the growing popularity of platforms like TikTok and Little Red Book. In China, users are known to spend long periods of time on these platforms, which provide a rich source of content and entertainment. Integrating these features into PayPal could help increase user engagement and retention.

In the past, PayPal has faced challenges in breaking into the social media market. In 2014, a feature called "Circle" was introduced, which allowed users to create and join interest-based groups. However, the feature was never popular and was eventually shut down. With the launch of the "Interest Community," PayPal is hoping to learn from its past mistakes and create a thriving social platform.

It remains to be seen whether PayPal's new social features will be a success. However, the company's willingness to experiment and adapt to changing market conditions is a testament to its ambition and drive to stay ahead of the competition.

In conclusion, Alibaba's PayPal is looking to expand its reach in the Chinese market by integrating social and content features into its app. The move to hire ex-TikTok and Little Red Book employees is a bold one and demonstrates the company's commitment to becoming a major player in the social media space. While some users are skeptical, the potential benefits to user engagement and retention make this a risk worth taking for PayPal. Only time will tell whether the new features will be a hit with users.