WhatsApps founder Jan Koum will thus become a major shareholder in Facebook. He will also take place in the social network's board of directors.
Facebook have likely made the acquisition because they lack an operating system of its own, such as Google's Android or Apple's iOS. With its own operating system, Facebook can now pre-install apps, and programs and by doing so bring up the use of its own products.
Facebooks previous attempts to market it 's own user OS Home, which could be installed to Android, fell flat and become a flop. Facebook is now seemingly trying to redeem this venture.
After the announcement Facebook 's stock fell 4.4 percent, signaling that the market apparently doesn't share Zuckerberg's interest in WhatsApp.
It probably fits into Facebook's mobile strategy, but it's an unusual acquisition. I wonder how his stand against online ads will play with Facebook.
SvaraRaderaExactly! WhatsApp processes 27 billion messages a day, and has 400 million active users a month. Facebook, by comparison, has 1.2 billion monthly users — which means that WhatsApp is already, on its own, a sizeable threat to Facebook. Viber was just acquired for $900 million. Snapchat has turned down offers of up to $3 billion. Facebook has - until now - not had a working chat service for mobile. This is exactly the mobile strategy they want to build!
RaderaI read somewhere that for what Facebook paid for Whatsapp, we could have clean water and sanitation for the whole planet $9 billion left over.
SvaraRaderaI have heard that too... However, still kind of an odd comparison. Its apples and pears - good apples and overprices pears may be, but apples and pears still. Most of its value derives from the messaging base the Whatsapp has, something that Facebook values at $19 billion. Keep in mind though that Facebook themselves are not starving for putting out $19 billion, so imagine how much water could be bought if we sold Facebook? Question is; who would buy it, and how much money do they have, and how much water is that?
Radera