Which messaging app did Meta acquire for $19 billion in 2014?
Answer
The messaging app Meta acquired for $19 billion in 2014 was WhatsApp.
Facebook, Inc.—Meta’s former corporate name—announced the deal on February 19, 2014. The agreement valued WhatsApp at $19 billion, made up of cash, Facebook shares, and restricted stock units for WhatsApp employees and founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton. It was Facebook’s largest acquisition at the time and one of the biggest technology deals involving a venture-backed startup.
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Koum and Acton, former Yahoo employees, and grew rapidly as a simple mobile messaging service. Its appeal came from internet-based text messages, group chats, photo sharing, voice calls, and broad international adoption. Many people confuse the deal with Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, which occurred in 2012 for roughly $1 billion, or with later messaging acquisitions by other companies.
WhatsApp continued operating as a distinct app after the acquisition, although it became part of Meta’s broader family of services alongside Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.