Snapchat's iPad Origins

A story about how Snapchat found its initial product-market fit in high schools.

"Snapchat started in high schools in Los Angeles at preppy $50,000-a-year schools. The key insight wasn't just that they used it for communication - it was that when photos stick around forever, people feel hesitant to share.

The real breakthrough came during school. Students were using it on classroom iPads to send messages to each other across classrooms, and teachers couldn't catch them because the messages would destroy themselves after reading.

Initially, when they built it in college, usage was pretty flat. They thought college kids would want to use it for party photos and things you don't want to stick around forever - which ended up being true. But then somebody introduced it to their niece, and that's when it took off in high schools. The ephemerality was the key mechanic that made it work."