Readwise launches a social-first platform to challenge ebook giants

Cofounders Tristan Homsi and Daniel Doyon describe their new project as a "Strava for reading," aiming to gamify the consumption of books by tracking reading speed, duration, and volume. The app features a social feed where users can share their progress, exchange recommendations, and discuss titles directly within the interface. This functionality targets the specific void left by legacy platforms that have struggled to modernize their social features.

While the team initially envisioned a direct technological overhaul of the Kindle experience, they discovered that users were less concerned with hardware improvements and more interested in the community aspects currently dominated by Goodreads. By integrating purchasing, reading, and social networking into a single ecosystem, the company is positioning itself to capture readers who view book consumption as a measurable, shared activity rather than a solitary digital transaction.