> Just because your users are passionate doesn't mean you deserve a high valuation No one "deserves" any particular valuation: those numbers come from how much

> Just because your users are passionate doesn't mean you deserve a high valuation No one "deserves" any particular valuation: those numbers come from how much people are willing to pay, and how little you're willing to sell. Due to the post acquisition success of Instagram, companies like SnapChat and WhatsApp have more leverage than their predecessors in these negotiations. Thus, they command higher valuations. WhatsApp, though of course a Valley company, seemed to have been "discovered" overseas. It famously doesn't have ads and instead charges $1/year (which its users are willing to pay). In the short term, yes, India/SE Asia are less lucrative markets per person, but in the long term they have greater potential for growth. With the numbers as they are, looks like Zuckerberg intends this as a long term play.