Mark Zuckerberg Leveraging the Potential of WhatsApp

Despite making a promise not to interfere with WhatsApp when Facebook purchased it for $19 billion, Mark Zuckerberg is now exploring the app’s growth potential. WhatsApp’s importance has increased for Meta, with more than two billion global users. It has become one of Meta’s fastest-growing services, particularly in its mature American market. Facebook and Instagram ads are quickly generating revenue and could bring in $10 billion this year. Mr. Zuckerberg sees WhatsApp as a cornerstone for business messaging and a primary conversation app moving forward.

Jan Koum and Brian Acton created WhatsApp as a free, fast, and secure messaging app that stood out for using a data connection instead of mobile carriers’ SMS messages. Mr. Zuckerberg acquired the app in 2014 and initially allowed its founders to make most decisions. However, by 2019, he sought more control over his company’s apps and tied them together. This led to the departure of WhatsApp’s founders and other employees who accused Mr. Zuckerberg of breaking privacy promises made upon acquiring the service.

Despite these challenges, WhatsApp has continued to evolve adding features and paid tools for businesses. It introduced ads that connect users to a brand’s WhatsApp account, the fastest-growing ad format for Meta. The app has progressed into professional business apps and is expanding its payment infrastructure. However, it faces competition from iMessage, Signal, and Telegram, and some regulatory hurdles in Europe.

Neighboring a year of efficiency at Meta, WhatsApp’s momentum is a reminder that the company is still reliant on its family of social apps. Mr. Zuckerberg’s stance on WhatsApp has changed from being an unknown opportunity for monetization to a key component for Meta’s future.

News

Unlikely Industry Player Anguilla Profits Big from A.I. Boom

Artificial intelligence’s integration into everyday life has stirred up doubts and unsettling questions for many about humanity’s path forward. But in Anguilla, a tiny Caribbean island to the east of Puerto Rico, the A.I. boom has made the country a fortune. The British territory collects a fee from every registration for internet addresses that end […]

Read More
News

China Surpasses U.S. in A.I. Talent: A Key Metric

China lags behind the United States in artificial intelligence that powers chatbots like ChatGPT but excels in producing scientists behind new humanoid technologies. New research reveals that China has surpassed the United States as the biggest producer of A.I. talent. The country generates almost half the world’s top A.I. researchers, compared to 18 percent from […]

Read More
News

Brands Brace for Impact as TikTok Faces Criticism

Amid debate in Washington over whether TikTok should be banned if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell it, one group is watching with particular interest: the many brands — particularly in the beauty, skin care, fashion, and health and wellness industries — that have used the video app to boost their sales. Youthforia, a makeup brand […]

Read More