Facebook Buying Messaging App WhatsApp for $16 Billion

Postby **Duane 3NE 2NR** » February 19th, 2014, 8:33 pm

Facebook is buying the hugely popular WhatsApp for $16 billion according to a filing with the SEC. The purchase, $4 billion in cash plus $12 billion in Facebook shares and potential for an additional $3 billion in employee stock payouts, will see WhatsApp founder Jan Koum joining Facebook's board of directors.

WhatsApp Messenger is a hugely popular cross-platform messaging app that allows users to chat with individuals or groups, as well as sending files and pictures back and forth.

Back in December, the service bragged that it had 400 million active users, with 100 million of those added in the last four months of 2013. Back in April of 2013, it was rumored that Google was close to acquiring the company for $1 billion -- something WhatsApp denied. Today's sale price reflects the company's tremendous growth over the last several months.

According to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:

WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community. Facebook Messenger is widely used for chatting with your Facebook friends, and WhatsApp for communicating with all of your contacts and small groups of people. Since WhatsApp and Messenger serve such different and important uses, we will continue investing in both and making them each great products for everyone.
The service is one of many messaging services available on iOS and other mobile platforms, including Apple's own iMessage service integrated into iOS and OS X. Such services have become increasingly popular as users seek to avoid mobile carriers' SMS charges and expand their conversations to include devices not directly connected to cellular service. WhatsApp says that the Facebook and WhatsApp messaging apps will remain standalone for the foreseeable future, and WhatsApp will remain autonomous, operating independently of Facebook.

The company's app is currently the 35th most popular on the App Store. Facebook says WhatsApp's messaging volume is "approaching the entire global telecom SMS volume", roughly 7 trillion message a year. WhatsApp Messenger is a free download on the App Store.

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/19/fac ... -whatsapp/

Morpheus · Postby **Morpheus** » February 19th, 2014, 8:45 pm

Dunno if to view this is good or bad........

Leaning towards bad though :-?

pugboy · Postby **pugboy** » February 19th, 2014, 8:57 pm

apple must wish they had a piece of the messaging pie

src1983 · Postby **src1983** » February 19th, 2014, 9:03 pm

I hoping sometime down the road, we don't see an update introducing ads....

Soundwave · Postby **Soundwave** » February 19th, 2014, 9:10 pm

facebook real dotish, dey coulda dl it for free...

sharkman121 · Postby **sharkman121** » February 19th, 2014, 9:13 pm

src1983 wrote:I hoping sometime down the road, we don't see an update introducing ads....

i think this is what i dread the most......then the paid version being ad free

cinco · Postby **cinco** » February 19th, 2014, 9:13 pm

Could see whatsapp replacing fb messenger.

maj. tom · Postby **maj. tom** » February 19th, 2014, 9:33 pm

Facebook will now implement their underhand privacy policies and sell your Whatsapp habits and info to 3rd parties. The usual American economics with no oversight laws for protection of the consumer.

-Roach- · Postby **-Roach-** » February 19th, 2014, 9:40 pm

Soundwave wrote:facebook real dotish, dey coulda dl it for free...

napster16 · Postby **napster16** » February 19th, 2014, 10:15 pm

-Roach- wrote:
Soundwave wrote:facebook real dotish, dey coulda dl it for free...

Didn't know what to type, but this should do...

X2 · Postby X2 » February 19th, 2014, 10:22 pm

Don't understand how the hell it's worth that much...

Oh wait... privacy is priceless... damn... back to BBM ?

Trini Hookah · Postby **Trini Hookah** » February 19th, 2014, 10:45 pm

sharkman121 wrote:
src1983 wrote:I hoping sometime down the road, we don't see an update introducing ads....

i think this is what i dread the most......then the paid version being ad free

Point is void, install the pro version apk if it comes down to it.

Sky · Postby **Sky** » February 19th, 2014, 10:59 pm

X2 wrote:Don't understand how the hell it's worth that much...

Oh wait... privacy is priceless... damn... back to BBM ?

ENT!!!

sonygoup · Postby **sonygoup** » February 19th, 2014, 11:13 pm

Whats app gonna get screwed up -_-now
Got pissed hearing this today

grimreaper009 · Postby **grimreaper009** » February 19th, 2014, 11:19 pm

Damn.......................n I have a free lifetime subscription....wonder how they gonna mess that up smh

sonygoup · Postby **sonygoup** » February 19th, 2014, 11:29 pm

Wait taking a sheit and doing some adding up
If the NAS has access to Facebook then What's App is screwed
And we can't ensure BBM gonna be around for the next 5 years
Back to sms B)

Trini Hookah · Postby **Trini Hookah** » February 20th, 2014, 12:18 am

sonygoup wrote:Wait taking a sheit and doing some adding up
If the NAS has access to Facebook then What's App is screwed
And we can't ensure BBM gonna be around for the next 5 years
Back to sms B)

S_2NR · Postby **S_2NR** » February 20th, 2014, 5:09 am

Time to delete whatsapp. Fack u facebook

pluggie · Postby **pluggie** » February 20th, 2014, 6:39 am

Soundwave wrote:facebook real dotish, dey coulda dl it for free...

pugboy · Postby **pugboy** » February 20th, 2014, 7:43 am

they coulda buy blackberry for plenty less given their bankrupt state

nos_specialist · Postby **nos_specialist** » February 20th, 2014, 7:54 am

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

uncle sam · Postby **uncle sam** » February 20th, 2014, 7:59 am

fbook chat is real balls... hope whatsapp doesn't turn into anything like that

src1983 · Postby **src1983** » February 20th, 2014, 8:08 am

Coming soon Like and share buttons for your chats.......

javishm · Postby **javishm** » February 20th, 2014, 8:13 am

X2 wrote:Don't understand how the hell it's worth that much...

Oh wait... privacy is priceless... damn... back to BBM ?

gotta agree here

Damien · Postby **Damien** » February 20th, 2014, 9:03 am

Soundwave wrote:facebook real dotish, dey coulda dl it for free...

Postby **Duane 3NE 2NR** » February 20th, 2014, 5:56 pm

These are tweets from a guy who applied but was rejected for jobs at both Facebook and Twitter in 2009. Four years later, and he sells his company WhatsApp to FB for $16 billion in cash and stock, plus another $3bil in restricted stock. Everyone loves a good comeback story.

Postby **M_2NR** » February 20th, 2014, 8:01 pm

Trini Hookah wrote:
sonygoup wrote:Wait taking a sheit and doing some adding up
If the NAS has access to Facebook then What's App is screwed
And we can't ensure BBM gonna be around for the next 5 years
Back to sms B)

mero · Postby **mero** » February 20th, 2014, 8:12 pm

Jan koum is my cousin..... Srs

Trini Hookah · Postby **Trini Hookah** » February 20th, 2014, 11:17 pm

George Takei wrote:

These are tweets from a guy who applied but was rejected for jobs at both Facebook and Twitter in 2009. Four years later, and he sells his company WhatsApp to FB for $16 billion in cash and stock, plus another $3bil in restricted stock. Everyone loves a good comeback story.

kjaglal76 · Postby **kjaglal76** » February 21st, 2014, 12:27 am

javishm wrote:
X2 wrote:Don't understand how the hell it's worth that much...

Oh wait... privacy is priceless... damn... back to BBM ?

gotta agree here

x2

also, i doh think it wud ever have ads, once yur service expire u pay

why FB needs to read yur SMS/MMS??