In brief: Smartisan-backed WeChat ‘challenger’ continues to struggle

• Liaotianbao, formerly known as Bullet Message, has reportedly dismissed 200 employees on March 5. Remaining staff – a few dozen of them – may be transferred to Smartisan, the app’s backer.
• Launched in August 2018, Liaotianbao was a fast-rising app that some saw as a potential challenger to WeChat, China’s dominant messaging platform.
• Liaotianbao has struggled to keep users, with only less than 14 percent of them staying on the app a week after they downloaded it, according to a Chinese data provider.

Source: South China Morning Post