APP is trading at $437.00 (+6.07%) in after-hours following reports that the company is developing a proprietary social platform from scratch to compete with Meta and TikTok.
- The strategic pivot follows a failed attempt to acquire TikTok's non-China operations and signals a move to control user data and expand the business model beyond mobile advertising.
- A job listing for a Singapore-based backend engineer to architect a next-generation social platform confirms the initiative, which investors view as a long-term growth catalyst.
- The expansion comes as the company looks to rebound from a 42% year-to-date decline fueled by concerns over AI disruption in its core advertising business.