The Story Behind MSN Messenger: The App That Defined a Generation
Before Discord, WhatsApp, Snapchat, or Facebook Messenger, there was MSN Messenger – the app that defined after-school conversations in the late ’90s and 2000s.
Microsoft launched it on July 22, 1999 as a free instant messaging service.
While AIM (AOL Online) already existed, MSN took off thanks to the rise of home PCs and growing internet access.
At its peak, it reached over 330 million users worldwide.
I sure remember the days of spending hours chatting online with friends, sending links, early YouTube videos like End of Ze World! and the flashing orange notification that you have a new message. Talk about nostalgia.
But I’ve never dug into how it was created, it’s success days, and the eventual downfall of the massively successful platform.
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