Meta Platforms acquired WhatsApp Inc. for ~$22 billion, a transaction completed in October 2014, structured as combination (cash and stock). The deal was a Merger.
WhatsApp Inc. operates in Family of Apps, is based in Mountain View, California, USA. WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging service that had more than 450 million monthly users at announcement and was adding over a million new users a day. Facebook acquired it to expand its mobile messaging footprint and advance its goal of connecting more of the world. WhatsApp continued to operate independently and retain its brand, and co-founder Jan Koum joined Facebook's board.
Facebook positioned the deal as accelerating growth and user engagement across both companies and supporting a shared mission to bring connectivity and utility to the world.
WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable.Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Facebook
WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide.Jan Koum, Co-founder and CEO, WhatsApp
Advisory firms were not disclosed for this transaction.