I recently wrote about how SnapChat may spell the fall ofFacebook. Now I don’t want to pat my own back here, but it seems as though Mark
Zuckerberg is reading my blog and taking notes (probably not, but fun still)
since Facebook recently announced plans for acquiring SnapChat.
However, since founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy also
seem to be avid subscribers to the Social Gnome, they coldly, shrewdly, and wisely
turned down that offer. What happened next? Zuckerberg upped the ante. But Spiegel
and Murphy would not have any of it, turning down the 3 billion dollar offer.
23-year-old Spiegel, has yet to comment on the information,
but according to the Wall Street his plan is to start bringing in bids from
potential buyers first next year. It is hoped that Snapchat will have grown
even larger at that time, and thus have become worth more money. Snapchat has
today only been around for about two years, and if the net-worth increases along
the same tangent it has so far, it would be worth (crude calculations) an
estimated 3,75 billion in May and 4,5 in November of 2014.
This however is all conditioned on several things but the
two most important factors would be;
- Facebook themselves just copying the app and incorporating their “FaceSnap App” into their existing library. We all know they do have the resources, and building such an app is NOT a 3 billion dollar investment. What Snapchap is offering Facebook here is a kick start, where Facebook would not have to invest in building a community nor brand awareness.
- Fad dying off and users leaving SnapChat. And if this happens SnapChap will not even be worth the time of day. It has happened before with immensely popular sites and applications. The social Internet is moving fast, and so is its users.
However, Facebook are not alone in trying to acquiring
Snapchat; several different companies have shown interest. As of right now
Snapchat has no sales what so ever, simply relying on its users. No ads,
nothing; just investors and evaluations. With such a volatile income base, it shows
Iceman guts to pass by an offer that would make the founders economically
independent.
And as of right now, Speigel and Murphy are playing it cool.
If you can't beat 'em then join 'em. That's been Microsoft strategy.
SvaraRadera