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True. It's worth adding that Facebook Messenger itself began (or was at least jumpstarted) with the acquisition of a company called Beluga in 2011. Facebook h
by jonnathanson 13y ago
True.
It's worth adding that Facebook Messenger itself began (or was at least jumpstarted) with the acquisition of a company called Beluga in 2011.
Facebook has definitely made an effort to get into this space -- not necessarily a failed effort, at that -- and it's been trying for years. The idea that "Facebook can just build its own WhatsApp and market it" is silly, especially in light of Facebook's history here.
I'm not convinced $19B was a reasonable price for WhatsApp, unless, as I suspect, there was some heavy competitive bidding pressure. (Google tried to buy the company at $10B not very long ago; I'd imagine there were counteroffers between G and FB, which FB ultimately won at $19B.)