Why is hike shutting down after 13 years?
Hike is shutting down after 13 years of operations worldwide as founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal announces the closure on September 13, citing India’s real-money gaming ban and shortened runway as decisive factors; once hailed as the country’s homegrown challenger to WhatsApp, Hike’s pivot to gaming with Rush and its $500 million revenue wasn’t enough to survive regulatory uncertainty.