Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun ran a hook-up app before his US$4.6 million Warren Buffett lunch bid
- Peiwo, which has been criticised for vulgar and pornographic content, was recently taken down from app stores in China
- Launched in 2014, the app was estimated to have more than 10 million registered users around the world
Before hogging headlines for missing a US$4.6 million lunch with Warren Buffett, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun Yuchen was known for creating voice live-streaming app Peiwo, which has pushed the boundaries of social networking in China.
Peiwo, which translates as “accompany me” in English, was released in 2014 and targeted millennials. The app connects like-minded users via live audio chats based on 10-second voice samples they recorded on the platform.
Unlike popular social media-turned-hook-up apps Momo and Tantan on which users posted photos, Peiwo was designed to minimise judgment or attraction to make friends based only on appearance. It encourages users to communicate their thoughts through their voices.
Users are automatically connected with random strangers because the app has the microphone on a user’s smartphone open by default. If connected users do not want to add each other as friends, they can swipe off that link from their screen and never be seen again.
The app’s users were mainly between the ages of 16 and 25, according to a Peiwo press release last year. It said there were more than 10 million registered users around the world, with a monthly active user base of more than 1 million.
