It's rare for a new e-commerce company to emerge as quickly as Temu. The company, which launched in the fall of 2022, has flooded the U.S. advertising market, buying much of the inventory of companies like Facebook and Snapchat. Temu is one of the most downloaded iPhone apps in the country, with about 50 million monthly active users, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
On today's show, we take a deep dive into Temu. How does Temu work, how has it managed such rapid growth in the US, and what hints does it offer about the future of retail? We also hear from a bike-loving U.S. congressman who is working to close the loophole that helped so much.
This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and reported by Emily Feng. Produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kessler and Emma Peasley. Edited by Keith Romer, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and designed by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is the executive producer of Planet Money.
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