Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (JOSH EDELSON / AFP file photo)
CALIFORNIA, United States — Facebook on Friday took aim at videoconferencing startup Zoom with virtual “rooms” where friends can pop in for visits via online video as part of an effort to help users locked down during the pandemic.
Messenger Rooms is tailored for socializing with friends and family whether it be birthdays, happy hours, book clubs or parents groups, in contrast with Zoom, developed with business in mind.
“This is designed to be more serendipitous and spontaneous,” Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said while briefing AFP on Rooms.
The launch comes amid a surge in Zoom use not only for business meetings but family and social gatherings moved online due to the health crisis.