Widjaja: Why super apps dominate Southeast Asia instead of the US
Crystal Widjaja · How to scrappily hire for, measure, and unlock growth | Crystal Widjaja, Gojek and Kumu · Jul 31, 2022 · at 11:40
Former Gojek growth executive Crystal Widjaja explains to Lenny Rachitsky why super apps flourish in Southeast Asia but struggle to emerge in the US.
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“I think the sentimentality of a conglomerate is very different in Southeast Asia. So we've grown up with, you know, a specific conglomerate owning, not just the mall that you go to, but also the apartment building that you live in and the school that you go to. And so they're very well integrated and there's a sense of trust in a conglomerate. Whereas in America, we already kind of shy away from like, does Google know too much about me? There's also, I think the second aspect of it, which is that in Asia, we've kind of leapfrogged to the computer era. So everyone has a phone, but you may not even have a computer in the entire household. And so when your phone is full, are you gonna delete a photo of your kid or are you gonna delete this app? You're probably gonna delete the app. So for anyone to really survive, it has to be part of this super app concept.”
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