German CEO launches W Social, a European alternative to X

German CEO Anna Zeiter has unveiled details of a new, European-based social media platform, W Social, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The platform will rival US-based X.

W Social unveiled at the WEF

Switzerland-based German CEO Anna Zeiter has recently unveiled W Social, a new European social media platform for “all those who no longer feel comfortable on platforms like X and Facebook”. The platform is still under development and should be available to the public by the end of 2026.

The platform aims to help countries and users move away from relying on US technology. W Social AB, founded in Sweden, is a subsidiary of We Don’t Have Time AB. It currently has over 750 investors from around 15 countries.

According to Zeiter, reported by Bilanz, “The W stands for 'We' and the big questions in investigative journalism: Who, what, when, where, and why?” The letter “W” also combines two “Vs”, which stand for “Values” and “Verified”.

W Social focuses on transparency 

Previously Chief Privacy Officer at eBay, Zeiter believes that “there is an urgent need for a platform that is developed, managed and hosted in Europe,” reports Watson. 

The platform will require human verification to reduce the number of bot accounts that could circulate false information. Users will also have greater oversight of how their data is used and the platform will be subject to European data protection laws.

In December 2025, X was fined 120 million euros for breaching transparency laws under the European Digital Services Act (DSA). Furthermore, Watson reports that the platform has reduced the number of moderators in Europe despite the spread of harmful and false content on the platform.