Facebook buys messaging app WhatsApp for $16bn

[Hashshāshīn]

Facebook has bought messaging app WhatsApp for $16bn (£9.6bn), with an additional $3bn given to WhatsApp's founders and employees.

It is the social networking giant's biggest acquisition to date.

WhatsApp has over 450 million monthly users and is popular with people looking to avoid text messaging charges.

In a statement, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg described WhatsApp's services as "incredibly valuable".

WhatsApp allows users to send messages over internet connections, avoiding text messaging fees. The company claims it is currently registering one million new users a day.

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum will stay on and operate the firm independently. He will also become a member of Facebook's board of directors.

"We're excited and honoured to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world," Mr Koum said in a statement.

Shares in Facebook dropped 5% in after hours trading on news of the purchase.

Prior to this acquisition, Facebook's biggest buy had been Instagram for $1bn in 2012.

It had also reportedly offered $3bn to acquire photo messaging service Snapchat.

BBC News - Facebook to buy messaging app WhatsApp for $16bn

I don't like this. It seems like slowly, Facebook is going to compile every app together, and have every thing you've ever said in one place. Be careful what say say, and never connect your Facebook account with any other sites.

 

[Skull and Bones]

They should diversity their portfolio like Google, rather than going deep into messenger/social networking.

 

[Hashshāshīn]

They should diversity their portfolio like Google, rather than going deep into messenger/social networking.

They will not be able to compete with Google on other services. Biggest search, biggest video sharing, biggest email, biggest mobile OS and many more...

 

[Dazzler]

i quit using facebook for whatsapp, now i gotta quit whatsapp too

 

[Hyperion]

Holy **** ....... Need to get some Python, PHP developers on payroll........ wtf am I doing!

 

[ANMDT]

Its a mess ( i am curious how facebook will turn whatsapp into a unusable application .

 

[SMStealth]

Another nice platform (Whatsapp) gonna go down.

 

[Skull and Bones]

They will not be able to compete with Google on other services. Biggest search, biggest video sharing, biggest email, biggest mobile OS and many more...

Look at Google's recent acquisitions, Boston Dynamics (Robotics), Motorola, Schaft (make humanoid robots), Nest, Deepming (AI), even few biotech companies. You'll wake up 15 years from now, and be a slave of google in one way or other.

 

[Levina]

Look at Google's recent acquisitions, Boston Dynamics (Robotics), Motorola, Schaft (make humanoid robots), Nest, Deepming (AI), even few biotech companies. You'll wake up 15 years from now, and be a slave of google in one way or other.

G for Google
G for giant
Google is a giant already so they can risk investments here and there.
Facebook is still taking baby steps...in acquistions.
But Facebook is notorious for tracking users even after they have signed out.
Company employees are also able to watch where people who are not members of the social-networking site go online, even if they have just viewed Facebook once.Now whatsapp just adds to how they're gonna invade our privacy.

 

[Developereo]

G for Google
G for giant
Google is a giant already so they can risk investments here and there.
Facebook is still taking baby steps...in acquistions.
But Facebook is notorious for tracking users even after they have signed out.
Company employees are also able to watch where people who are not members of the social-networking site go online, even if they have just viewed Facebook once.Now whatsapp just adds to how they're gonna invade our privacy.

Google knows that the internet party is going to come under dark clouds as concerns about privacy and snooping get louder.

That's why they are moving their billions into non-internet related businesses.

 

[airuah]

Idiots ....spending 16 billion for wats app....

They could have downloaded for free

 

[A.Rafay]

I will have to quit using it if fb tries to ruin it!

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

16 billion dollar for whatsapp..

 

[Levina]

Google knows that the internet party is going to come under dark clouds as concerns about privacy and snooping get louder.

That's why they are moving their billions into non-internet related businesses.

And soon we'll all have bots at our homes which will directly report to NSA-HQ.
What is google planning???
We still have google apps on our mobiles which can be used for GPS tracking...we are already so dependent on google thats its worrying.
No google isnt moving away from internet it is going deeper into it.

 

[Developereo]

And soon we'll all have bots at our homes which will directly report to NSA-HQ.
What is google planning???
We still have google apps on our mobiles which can be used for GPS tracking...we are already so dependent on google thats its worrying.
No google isnt moving away from internet it is going deeper into it.

The internet isn't going away, and Google is not abandoning the internet.
What I meant is that they are diversifying and hedging their bets.

Google's Chromebook (which Microsoft rightfully mocked as a spymaster's dream) is a gamble that people will put everything on the cloud and give up personal PCs.