Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion

20 Feb 2014

Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion

By abhishek
20 Feb 2014
Tags:

Facebook will acquire messaging company WhatsApp for $19 billion , The purchase includes $12 billion in Facebook shares and $4 billion cash.

It calls for an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp founders and employees that will vest over four years. This is the largest acquisition that the company had ever made, it brought instagram for $1 billion in 2012, Not only that it , this acquisition is larger than any of that Google, Microsoft and apple had done.
WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile app that allows users to exchange messages without having to pay phone charges.

In a blog post Facebook explained its decision to acquire WhatsApp, there said "The acquisition supports Facebook and WhatsApp’s shared mission to bring more connectivity and utility to the world by delivering core internet services efficiently and affordability.",
Zuckerberg said at a investor call "WhatsApp is on a path to connect one billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable, I've known Jan(koum) (WhatsApp founder) for a long time, and I'm excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected."

In a blog, Mr Koum statement appeared as “WhatsApp will remain autonomous and operate independently. You can continue to enjoy the service for a nominal fee. You can continue to use WhatsApp no matter where in the world you are, or what smartphone you’re using. And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.” Almost five years ago we started WhatsApp with a simple mission: building a cool product used globally by everybody. Nothing else mattered to us.

"Today we are announcing a partnership with Facebook that will allow us to continue on that simple mission. Doing this will give WhatsApp the flexibility to grow and expand, while giving me, Brian, and the rest of our team more time to focus on building a communications service that’s as fast, affordable and personal as possible. "