Facebook To Buy WhatsApp

Facebook has announced an agreement to buy WhatsApp, the mobile messaging platform used by over 450 million people. The deal involves $4 billion in cash and an additional $12 billion in Facebook stock. They say WhatsApp will remain independent; its headquarters won't move, and it will continue to exist separately from Facebook's Messenger app. Mark Zuckerberg indicated they will focus on growth: 'Over the next few years, we're going to work hard to help WhatsApp grow and connect the whole world. We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts for Internet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone.' On WhatsApp's blog, they say, "Here’s what will change for you, our users: nothing. WhatsApp will remain autonomous and operate independently."

Comments

Oh Good

[The Cat]

We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts for Internet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone

Yet another attempt to control the Internet.

They're coming. And they will not stop until they own it or destroy it.

The Internet is humanity's last chance, boys and girls. We lose it and we're looking at 1000 years of darkness.

Re:Oh Good

[ozmanjusri]

The Internet is humanity's last chance, boys and girls.

Yep, Skype's gone, and now WhatsApp will be ruined.

Are there any open and demonstrably secure voice/video chat/IM etc applications in the pipeline that anyone's aware of?

Bubble bursting in 3, 2, 1 .....

[Anonymous Coward]

$16 billion for a messaging app? The end is nigh...

Re:Bubble bursting in 3, 2, 1 .....

[QuasiSteve]

No, $16B ($4B, really, who's counting fb stock?) for:

the mobile messaging platform used by over 450 million people

( plus underlying tech, as simple as it is )

And this promise that nothing's going to change? Laughable. If nothing else it will receive facebook branding (subtle, such as color changes) pretty quickly, and the only reason to build it out further is so that they can reap even further benefits (read: more users) over to facebook at a later point.

Re:Bubble bursting in 3, 2, 1 .....

[rudy_wayne]

And this promise that nothing's going to change? Laughable. If nothing else it will receive facebook branding (subtle, such as color changes) pretty quickly, and the only reason to build it out further is so that they can reap even further benefits (read: more users) over to facebook at a later point.

"Independent"? Nothing will change? LOL. They are in for a big surprise if they actually believe Facebook's line of bullshit. And here's a short piece of one of their blog entries:

http://blog.whatsapp.com/index...

Why We Don't Sell Ads

When people ask us why we charge for WhatsApp, we say “Have you considered the alternative?”

At WhatsApp, our engineers spend all their time fixing bugs, adding new features and ironing out all the little intricacies in our task of bringing rich, affordable, reliable messaging to every phone in the world. That’s our product and that’s our passion. Your data isn’t even in the picture. We are simply not interested in any of it.

Remember, when advertising is involved you the user are the product.

Now that Facebook has spent $4 Billion Dollars (the $12 Billion in funny money is irrelevant) these guys are in for a rude awakening.

Like ping ball games

[future assassin]

Remember where the scores on pinball machines were sane then one day I saw the ST TNG pinball and the score was like in the millions. Was like WTF? The pricing on some of these virtual companies is the same.

And if they make me have a Facebook account...

[mfearby]

... UNINSTALL! I refuse to have a Facebook account and if Whatsapp starts making it mandatory to have one, then I'll go back to plain old SMS.

Re:And if they make me have a Facebook account...

[Cid Highwind]

Too late, you already have a Facebook account, everyone on the internet does.

You just don't know the password yet.

There you go

[Dunbal]

Time to delete my WhatsApp app.

Messaging?

[DogDude]

I read the web site, and I still don't understand what this web site is all about. Is it really just yet another messaging platform designed to get around SMS messaging charges? Am I missing something obvious?

1. There are tons and tons of ways to send messages to people last I checked. Why is this one worth "$16B"?

2. Who still pays for SMS messages? I've had unlimited texting plans for the better part of a decade, and they're cheaper than most people's cable TV bills. Are text messages significantly expensive outside of the US?

Re:sixteen billion???

[gordo3000]

nah, seems more like they are throwing cash at every company that mimics in a superior manner any piece of fb people used to use. Chat and images are the big two,
the problem is, any new company can come along and start the same service, at which point fb will have to buy them as well. this was the story with instagram, they then tried to buy snapchat, and now bought whatsapp.

Does your carrier charge you for txt? Lolz

[Phil Urich]

You've never heard of it? Are you still using your carrier's txt plan? Lolz

Why wouldn't I? I can text anyone anywhere in the world for free, and I don't have to worry about whether we're using the same service and if they actually still check that service or blah blah blah. And services like WhatsApp are tied to phone numbers anyways, so WhatsApp users are just a subset of people with numbers I could text to.

Why Care

[SuperKendall]

Why would I want to join a site where all of the other idiots that keep posting Beta messages over stories have gone to?

Good riddance, I say. Slashdot has been pretty good over the last week or so.

Good luck with your proto-Digg. You're gonna need it.