the rationale is to get element (and the foundation) sustainable by funding from big institutions. meanwhile the competition is typically whatsapp & signal, so the hope is that whatever works for institutions will also work for average users.
Is this an appropriate course ahead? I found the split of Element Pro and Element much more interesting to achieve a nice app for normal users and a power app for professionals. I don't think I'd like my WhatsApp replacement to look/feel like a Slack replacement.
And most importantly, is there a completely new approach that Element / Matrix can bring to messaging that doesn't feel like it's replacing something?
