Decision to build a chat app might seem wrong now in hindsight but this could have been a strategic move (as hinted in original comment). Look at their competi

Decision to build a chat app might seem wrong now in hindsight but this could have been a strategic move (as hinted in original comment). Look at their competitors in Asia (all-in-one services like WeChat, GoJek etc. where search, chat, ride hailing, banking etc. are all built in one app) and it would make sense for them to have an engineering team building a chat app.