AppLovin is preparing to build a social network after the company's failed U.S.-based TikTok
bid.
With strong ties to mobile media, the company recently
experienced a shift into broader AI and multiple advertising channels like streaming TV.
Xiaochuan Ge, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at AppLovin, described the shift during an
interview with The Valley 101 podcast posted to YouTube. Ge wants to approach building out the platform in a way that is the
opposite of what Meta Platforms' Facebook or Instagram are doing.
AppLovin has an ad-placement system but mostly has delivered those ads into other companies' apps through channels like
streaming TV, after selling a portfolio of games it owned last year, explained Bloomberg, which first identified the podcast.
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The interview, which was filed in December 2025, and
conducted in Chinese, provided insight into what Ge said through a Google translation tool.
"We don't have as many resources as Google and Meta, so we are destined not to solve our problems
using their methods," Ge said. "From the moment I joined AppLovin, I hoped that one day we could get [into] the game."
He said the biggest challenge is that AppLovin is not recognized enough
in the talent market, so when the company goes into a new market it struggles to hire experts, such as a team to build a social network.
A job listing for a Singapore-based “Backend Engineer” lists the goal: to build
a system that allows for media delivery, real-time social interactions and content discovery. The company already has the ad technology to make it work.
AppLovin's value has grown in recent
years, driven by its advertising technology, which helps mobile apps and games acquire new users and monetize their platforms. Its market value in December reached $248 billion.
The amount of
insights and behavioral data that AppLovin would gain control of across the mobile advertising market would outpace competitive rivals such as Meta and TikTok.
AppLovin acquired a mobile
measurement partner, Adjust, for nearly $1 billion in 2021, but it operates independently in the company.
A report released earlier this month provides insights into mobile app trends that
AppLovin follows. The company's expertise in mobile is likely why it wants to build a social network.
One growth sector of note is social commerce, which is forecast to reach $8.5 trillion by
2030.
Overall mobile app installations grew 10% and sessions rose 7% year-over-year (YoY) globally in 2025, while gaming app installs declined 3% YoY. But hyper-casual games accounted for the
largest share of installs at 29.1%.
MediaPost reached out to AppLovin, but did not receive a response in time for publication.