Kakao CEO Shin Ji-na Responds to KakaoTalk Overhaul Controversy: "We Will Listen Closely to User Feedback"

In a letter to shareholders:
"Deeply mindful of concerns... Will respond proactively"
"Reducing affiliates from 99 to around 80... Personalized KakaoTalk service with AI"

Shin Ji-na, CEO of Kakao, responded to the recent strong criticism regarding the overhaul of the KakaoTalk Friends tab by stating, "We will listen to user feedback more closely and communicate actively," and announced that a revised plan will be released within the fourth quarter.

In a shareholder letter released on October 13, CEO Shin said, "We are deeply mindful of the concerns shareholders have expressed about this update," and added, "We will actively address areas that require improvement."

Last month 23 25. Provided by Kakao

CEO Shin stated, "We plan to reintroduce the friends list in response to user feedback," and explained, "The feed format will be made selectable by users, either through a separate menu or a tab-in-tab format, and will be unveiled within the fourth quarter."

Regarding the purpose of this update, she explained, "We aimed to transform KakaoTalk from a conversation-centered messenger to a platform based on relationships and context," expressing her commitment to achieving both goals of increasing user acceptance and driving business growth.

Last month, at its annual conference 'If Kakao', Kakao unveiled the details of the KakaoTalk overhaul. As part of the update, the Friends tab was redesigned to feature a feed-style user interface (UI), allowing users to view their friends' profile changes in a timeline format.

However, after the update, a flood of complaints arose from users who found the Friends tab inconvenient to use. The main complaints were that the Friends tab had been changed to resemble a social networking service (SNS) feed, which increased user fatigue and blurred KakaoTalk's identity as a messenger. As a result, on September 29, Kakao announced that it would restore the Friends tab to the previous friends list format.

Meanwhile, CEO Shin announced plans to reduce the number of Kakao Group affiliates from the current 99 to around 80 by the end of this year. Kakao was once criticized for its sprawling management, with the number of affiliates reaching as many as 142 at one point.

CEO Shin emphasized, "Since last year, we have focused on the essence of our business to lay the foundation for future growth and have worked to strengthen our fundamentals and accelerate governance efficiency," adding, "Starting in the second half of this year, we will begin to showcase everyday innovations by combining AI with KakaoTalk."