WhatsApp is a messaging and communication app developed by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, two former employees of Yahoo!, for the iOS and Android platforms in early 2009. It was initially released as a cross-platform messaging app for smartphones, but has since been extended to include desktop and web versions. The app has become one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 1 billion users worldwide.
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook Inc., which purchased the company for $19 billion in 2014. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time that WhatsApp was an “important part” of his company’s global strategy. Since then, Facebook has continued to invest heavily in WhatsApp, launching new features including end-to-end encryption and group calling.
WhatsApp is managed by a team led by Chief Executive Officer Will Cathcart, who joined the company in 2018 after leaving his post as chief product officer at PayPal. Before joining WhatsApp, Cathcart was a senior executive at Google and held various positions at Amazon between 1998 and 2007. He is responsible for leading development efforts on WhatsApp’s products and services, as well as helping to shape its overall strategy.
Acton and Koum remain involved with WhatsApp as board members. The pair founded the company together in 2009 with a vision of creating “simple, reliable, secure messaging that works everywhere” – something that resonates strongly with users to this day.
Acton left Facebook in 2017 over disagreements about how to monetise the service; he now runs an encrypted messaging app called Signal. However, he remains an active member of the WhatsApp team.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is clear that Facebook Inc.’s purchase of WhatsApp made them its sole owner and controller of its operations since 2014. The team managing it currently is led by Will Cathcart while its original founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum still remain involved with it as board members.