The social media company Facebook unsuccessfully tried to acquire for $3 billion in 2013 was Snapchat. Facebook reportedly made the offer in November 2013, but Snapchat co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel declined it.
At the time, Snapchat was a rapidly growing service built around disappearing photos and videos. Its temporary-message format appealed strongly to younger users and was becoming an important alternative to Facebook's more established social network. The rejected offer became one of the most famous examples of a large technology acquisition that never happened.
Facebook did successfully acquire Instagram for about $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for approximately $19 billion in 2014. Those deals are the source of common mix-ups. Snapchat remained independent and later became part of Snap Inc., whose other products include the Spectacles hardware line and augmented-reality features.