I guess Google Hangouts is finally dead.

Why is Google such a mess at making messaging apps? This has more or less been a solved problem for decades. Google Talk worked well enough, and since it was based on XMPP and Jingle it was perfectly suited to become a large-scale text/voice/video messaging system. If they’d run with that they’d have been able to dominate that space, I think. Instead, they’ve created and shitcanned half a dozen messaging apps and platforms, flailing around copying someone else’s app (now they’re trying to copy Slack I guess).

@prologic@twtxt.net If we talk about all the Msg apps, I found:
Messages by Google (SMS), Google Duo (Voice call on Android), Google Chat, Google Voice (VoIP Phone?)

Why? I don’t know why… Perhaps a matter of novelty? “It’s new! Let’s try it!”

The only thing I know is that making short-lived products is what Google does
https://killedbygoogle.com

This is by design due to Google culture. The only way to get promoted into the higher pay scales is to ship a new product. So you have people shipping what worked before without regard to how it will exist within the product ecosystem. Also, why they seem to die off so quickly after launch. see allo and duo for example. The person that launches gets promoted to a higher level and off the original team and so it is left to wither and die.