5 ms·
I used to wonder how Facebook planned to monetize WhatsApp, I am beginning to find the answer : > Status could also open up new advertising opportunities for W
by ploggingdev 10y ago
I used to wonder how Facebook planned to monetize WhatsApp, I am beginning to find the answer :
> Status could also open up new advertising opportunities for WhatsApp. If it followed Snap and Instagram’s lead, it could insert full-screen ads in-between friends’ Statuses.
I really liked WhatsApp's business model before the aquisition : user's pay a small annual fee to use the app. What was cool to see was that the network effects were so strong that people who had never paid for an app or subscription service paid for WhatsApp. If they kept the service paid I doubt it would have reached the 1 billion users mark so quickly, but just humour me here : with 1 billion users they would have atleast 1 billion dollars in ARR. That would have been cool. They could have focused on what they do best : provide a no BS end to end encrypted messenger which respects the user's privacy. (Yes, I am aware of Signal and I use it).
I am curious to see how Facebook balances the need to monetize vs to the need to maintain WhatsApp's reputation as a service that respects users' privacy.
- AJRF 10y ago"1 billion users they would have atleast 1 billion dollars in ARR" You meant at most. Apple takes ~30%, Google take ~15%
- arstaetro 10y ago"You meant at most. Apple takes ~30%, Google take ~15%" .. Google takes 30% source: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
- mcintyre1994 10y agoDid they ever actually charge people? Were me and all my family in a weird A/B test bucket that constantly gets our subscription renewed without paying? I never paid, I just occasionally got told I didn't need to yet, and my family were the same - I never understood it.
- reitanqild 10y agoHappened to me in the beginning but I think I actually paid twice near the end and I was so happy because I was supporting a sustainable, privacy-respecting company. (I used to love it and be a walking billboard for it, which is possibly why I dislike it so strongly now.)