Can a New Social App Mend the Damage of the Last 15 Years?
What if the next big social app wasn’t about likes, followers, or viral outrage—but about intention, reflection, and real connection? That’s the ambitious promise behind Tangle, a fresh entry in the social space from Biz Stone (Twitter co-founder) and Evan Sharp (Pinterest co-founder). Fresh off a $29 million seed round led by Spark Capital, their startup West Co. is betting that users are ready to trade endless scrolling for something more meaningful: daily purpose.
From “Terrible Devastation” to Thoughtful Design
Evan Sharp, who now serves as CEO of West Co., didn’t mince words when describing the motivation behind Tangle. “What could I build that might help address just some of the terrible devastation of the human mind and heart that we’ve wrought the last 15 years?” he asked in recent comments reported by the Financial Times. That stark phrasing reflects a growing sentiment among tech insiders—and users—that today’s social platforms often leave people feeling worse, not better. Tangle is their attempt at a course correction.
How Tangle Works: Start With a Daily Question
At its core, Tangle begins with a simple prompt: “What’s your intention for today?” Users answer this question—whether it’s finishing a work project, taking a walk, or calling a friend—and can optionally share it with a small circle of trusted contacts. Unlike mainstream platforms built for public performance, Tangle emphasizes private or semi-private sharing, aiming to foster accountability and presence rather than competition or comparison.
Designed for Depth, Not Distraction
Tangle’s interface reportedly strips away most social media tropes: no endless feeds, no algorithmic recommendations, no public metrics. Instead, it focuses on helping users “plan with intention, capture the reality of their days, and see the deeper threads that shape their life,” according to company materials. The goal isn’t to keep you glued to your screen—it’s to help you reflect on how you spend your time and energy, offline and on.
A Return to “Human-Centered” Tech
This philosophy echoes a broader movement in Silicon Valley, where disillusioned founders are reimagining technology through a more ethical, human-centered lens. Stone and Sharp—both veterans of platforms that reshaped digital interaction—appear to be reckoning with their own legacies. Tangle feels less like a product and more like an apology wrapped in code: an acknowledgment that the attention economy has a human cost.
Funding and Early Access Signal Serious Intent
West Co.’s $29 million seed round is unusually large for a pre-launch social app, signaling strong investor belief in both the team and their vision. The app has been invite-only since its soft launch in November, with early users reportedly consisting of close-knit friend groups and productivity-focused communities. Job listings hint at future features around journaling, mood tracking, and collaborative goal-setting—all reinforcing the app’s focus on mental well-being over virality.
Why Now? The Timing Is Right for a Reset
Public trust in social media has cratered in recent years. Surveys consistently show rising anxiety, loneliness, and dissatisfaction tied to platform use—especially among Gen Z and younger millennials. Meanwhile, alternatives like BeReal and Marco Polo have shown that there’s appetite for more authentic, less performative sharing. Tangle enters this landscape not as a flashy disruptor, but as a quiet invitation to slow down.
Privacy and Small Groups Are Core to the Vision
Unlike platforms built on scale and data extraction, Tangle appears designed for intimacy. Early reports suggest it limits sharing to small, manually curated circles—more like group chats than follower networks. This approach reduces the pressure of public scrutiny while encouraging vulnerability and support. In an era of digital exhaustion, that restraint might be its greatest strength.
Challenges Ahead: Can Mindfulness Scale?
Of course, turning mindfulness into a viable product is no small feat. The biggest hurdle? Habit formation. Most users are deeply conditioned to seek dopamine hits from likes and notifications. Will people consistently engage with an app that asks them to reflect, plan, and share quietly—without instant validation? West Co. will need to master subtle onboarding and sticky UX to retain users beyond the novelty phase.
Not Just Another Social Network—A Digital Ritual
Tangle isn’t positioning itself as the next Instagram or TikTok. Instead, it’s framing daily intention-setting as a digital ritual—a moment of pause in a chaotic online world. If successful, it could pioneer a new category: not “social media,” but “social mindfulness.” That distinction could resonate deeply with users burned out by the current ecosystem.
What This Means for the Future of Social Tech
Stone and Sharp’s project may be small today, but its implications are large. If Tangle gains traction, it could inspire a wave of apps prioritizing psychological health over engagement metrics. More importantly, it challenges the assumption that social platforms must be addictive to succeed. In doing so, it offers a rare glimpse of what post-algorithmic, post-outrage social tech might look like.
A Glimmer of Hope in a Cynical Landscape
After 15 years of social media driving polarization, anxiety, and disconnection, Tangle arrives as a quiet but potent counter-narrative. It won’t fix everything—but it dares to ask whether technology can help us become more human, not less. In a world hungry for digital detox and real connection, that question might be exactly what users have been waiting to hear.
