Which company owns WhatsApp, the messaging service founded in 2009?
Answer
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms owns WhatsApp, the messaging service founded in 2009.
WhatsApp was created by Jan Koum and Brian Acton and released in 2009. Facebook, now Meta Platforms, announced its acquisition of WhatsApp in February 2014 for approximately $19 billion. The deal made WhatsApp part of the same corporate group as Facebook and Instagram.
Meta changed its corporate name from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in October 2021. The rebranding reflected the company’s growing focus on the metaverse, while its major consumer services continued operating under their established names.
A common mix-up is confusing WhatsApp’s ownership with its origin: WhatsApp was not created by Meta. Meta acquired it after the app had already become a major international messaging platform. WhatsApp remains one of Meta’s best-known products alongside Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.