Tapping the strengths of WhatsApp

Zuckerberg speaks during Meta Connect event at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Meta last month reported that its quarterly profit more than doubled from last year’s figure as ad revenue climbed. — AFP

WHEN Facebook bought WhatsApp for US$19bil nearly a decade ago, Mark Zuckerberg made a promise: the Facebook chief said he wouldn’t meddle often with the messaging app so as not to mess with a good thing.

Zuckerberg stuck to that philosophy as WhatsApp amassed more than two billion users globally – until 2019, when he began tapping the app’s growth and business potential.