Every few years, Airbnb puts out Experiences with some type of rebrand. They want to be a superapp — but that’s never going to happen. Here’s why…

The Ultimate Superapp: WeChat

The biggest superapp in the world is China’s WeChat. You can do anything on Wechat: talk to friends, pay for stuff, even access government services like passports.

Since you chat with friends and buy things often, WeChat stays front of mind. You open the app many times a day. You basically live in WeChat.

Why Airbnb Can’t Be a Superapp

Airbnb will never be that tool for Americans. The core use case, booking accommodations for a trip, is too rare.

I only travel somewhere where I need to book a hotel once or twice a year. Even if you travel more than I do, it’s probably not too much more than 5-10 times a year.

Just 5-10 times a year! That’s how often we think of Airbnb, given that it’s primarily for booking accommodations on trips.

Meanwhile, Chinese folks open WeChat countless times every day.

The Best Candidate for an American Superapp: Uber

So if Airbnb isn’t a likely candidate for an American superapp, what is? A company we all know and love: Uber.

The core use case for Uber is taking a ride. I use either Uber or Lyft about once or twice a week, versus once or twice a year for Airbnb or a hotel chain. Some folks take Uber daily.

With Uber, we’re getting close to that daily use case. And Uber has put a bunch of other services into its app: food delivery, package delivery, even bike rentals. All these services make sense for Uber: they involve moving something somewhere.

How Uber Can Become a Superapp

To become a true superapp like WeChat, Uber needs to get people opening the app many times a day. Here’s one way they could do that: payments.

I use Apple Pay for everything. I rarely touch paper currency anymore, or even a credit card.

What if we had Uber Pay? And maybe Uber gives us some sweet incentives, like the credit card companies do, to lure us away from Apple Pay.

That would get us opening the Uber app many times every day. Once they have that habit established, they could layer on even more services like flight booking or housecleaners.

Why I’m Banning Airbnb from Releasing New Features

I’m banning Airbnb from releasing new features until they fix their core product.

That product is in trouble. People are steamed up about Airbnb.

Long lists of chores. $200 cleaning fees. I see it on my timeline every day — people are angry.

But instead of fixing problems in the core product, they’re layering on irrelevant services most people don’t care about and don’t want.

Fix the core product instead. Cut down the cleaning fees. Ditch the chores. Focus on user happiness.

Wrap-Up

So, will Uber become a superapp?

It’s the closest thing we have in America. But I don’t think it will ever become as dominant as WeChat.

WeChat is largely a social network. Uber has no social media DNA in its company. Adding a chat wouldn’t make any sense.

The social network is incredibly sticky, with folks coming back many times a day. Uber will have a hard time replicating that.

Still, there are some awesome opportunities for Uber to expand its business. Features like payments and travel could add billions to the bottom line.

Airbnb is no superapp. They need to stay focused.

Make the stays awesome. Then, and only then, will I give them permission to add new features.

More on tech:

Google Glasses: A Computer for Your Face?

Using Grok as My Personal Trainer

YC’s New Request for Startups

Save Money on Stuff I Use:

Fundrise

This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

More on Fundrise in this post.

If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

Misfits Market

I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.