WhatsApp was formed in 2009 so as of 2018, it is nine years old. Facebook purchased the WhatsApp Company in 2014 from its original co-founders, Brian Acton and Jan Koum for $22 billion. Yes, that’s billion with “b”. When WhatsApp was first launched, mobile phone companies charged for sending text messages, so users quickly jumped at a chance to send messages for free.
Over time, WhatsApp provided users with the ability to do many of the same things Facebook users could do, such as send voice mail messages and videos. Facebook needed to purchase WhatsApp in order to eliminate the completion and to prevent WhatsApp from overtaking Facebook.
