When Did Zuckerberg Buy WhatsApp?

In February 2014, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company would acquire WhatsApp, a popular mobile messaging app. The deal was worth an incredible $19 billion and marked one of the largest acquisitions in technology history. It also gave Facebook instant access to WhatsApp’s 450 million users and allowed them to continue their growth into the future.

WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, two ex-Yahoo! employees who had identified a gap in the market for an easy-to-use messaging service which could be used on any smartphone. Their app quickly rose to popularity due to its simple design and user-friendly features, and by 2014 it had amassed 450 million users worldwide.

Facebook recognized the potential of WhatsApp as a valuable asset for their business model and negotiated a deal with Koum and Acton in early 2014.

The two sides agreed on a cash-and-stock agreement which included $4 billion in cash, $12 billion worth of Facebook shares and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units. In addition, the acquisition also included a retention bonus of $3 billion for Koum and Acton.

The acquisition drew criticism from some analysts who argued that it was too expensive for Facebook but nonetheless, Zuckerberg remained committed to the deal and it officially closed on October 6, 2014 – making it one of the largest technology buyouts ever seen.

Since then, WhatsApp has continued to grow its user base and now has 1.5 billion monthly active users – making it one of the most successful acquisitions in history. It has allowed Facebook to further expand its reach across multiple platforms, giving them access to new markets around the world.

Conclusion:

When Did Zuckerberg Buy WhatsApp? Mark Zuckerberg announced his intent to purchase WhatsApp in February 2014, with the deal officially closing on October 6th of that year for a total cost of 19 billion dollars – one of the largest technology buyouts ever seen at that time. Since then, WhatsApp has become an incredibly successful asset for Facebook’s business model with more than 1.5 billion monthly active users worldwide.