How can we make everyone quit WhatsApp?
In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 Billion. Already a popular app back then, people wondered why a company like Facebook was acquiring a messaging app when they already had their own ‘Messenger’ app. The very expensive acquisition also raised eyebrows: what was Facebook’s end goal?
Jan Koum, WhatsApp CEO and Co-founder then said nothing would change and that “
WhatsApp (would) remain autonomous and operate independently“. Four years later, in 2018, he quit after clashing over encryption, advertising and privacy with Facebook. Well, starting February 8th 2021, you will have two options if you use WhatsApp: either quit the app completely, or accept to have your personal data shared between Facebook’s family of apps and services.