Meta owns WhatsApp, which it acquired for about $19 billion in 2014.
Facebook announced its agreement to acquire WhatsApp in February 2014, and the transaction was completed later that year. The deal's total value was commonly reported at approximately $19 billion, including cash, stock, and restricted stock units. Facebook later changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms in 2021.
WhatsApp was founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton and launched in 2009. It became a major global messaging service through text messages, voice calls, video calls, group chats, and media sharing. Its end-to-end encryption is associated with the Signal Protocol.
WhatsApp is a Meta service but remains distinct from Facebook and Instagram. The acquisition is also separate from Meta's 2012 purchase of Instagram. Those services form a family of major consumer platforms under the same corporate parent.