Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $19 Billion
Today’s collective gasp at the frothy valuations and pace of mobile transformation in the Internet business comes courtesy of Facebook (FB). The social networkannounced after the close of the market on Wednesday that it has acquired mobile messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion.
As several commentators tweeted, reaching simultaneously for the low-hanging comedy fruit: “They should call it WTFapp.”
WhatsApp makes a popular smartphone application that allows users of various devices, such as iPhones, BlackBerrys (BBRY), and phones running Android, to send texts and photographs seamlessly and without paying the additional fees carriers charge for SMS messages. (It’s free to use for the first year, then costs just a dollar a year.) According to Facebook, the service has 450 million active users on any given day and is on track to connect 1 billion people.
Facebook says that WhatsApp, like Instagram, will remain largely independent from the social network. The acquisition positions the company for even stronger growth on mobile phones, where advertising now makes up the majority of its revenue. It also strengthens its toehold in China: Facebook is blocked in the world’s largest Internet market; WhatsApp and Instagram are permitted to operate there.
In a conference call after the deal was announced, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg called WhatsApp “an extremely high-quality product with incredibly strong engagement and rapid growth. It doesn’t get as much attention in the U.S. as it deserves because it started out growing in Europe, India, and Latin America.” He added: “It’s the only widely used app we’ve ever seen that has a higher rate of engagement than Facebook itself.”
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