Why ‘Stories’ Became a Feature in Every App on Earth
Netflix steals from TikTok. Instagram steals from Snapchat. Facebook and LinkedIn steal from everyone. Why is this all okay?
In early March, Netflix launched a new feature called Fast Laughs, which let users scroll through vertical videos of short clips from the company’s comedy specials and shows. The streaming giant pitched it as a new way for users to browse shows, but some immediately pegged it as something else: a TikTok clone for branded content. It’s yet another sign that TikTok’s format is so successful that there’s nothing left for competitors to do but copy it.
For newer social media apps, getting copied by a competitor represents both a best- and worst-case scenario. On the one hand, it’s evidence that their approach is working — on the other, it means competitors can wipe out their advantage with minimal effort.
Imagine a world where only one operating system was allowed to use a mouse, or only one phone could use pinch-to-zoom.
Netflix is hardly the first to copy TikTok’s UI design. Instagram cloned TikTok wholesale with Reels. Snapchat also added a TikTok-style music feature to compete in the short-form…
