Much has been made of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recent lawsuit against Facebook that is pushing for the company's acquisitions of both Instagram and WhatsApp to be reversed. The lawsuit is a bit late to the game, though. After all, Instagram was acquired in April 2012, with WhatsApp following just a couple of years later.
WhatsApp allows users to send text, photos, videos, documents, and make voice calls for free as long as they have an internet connection. It was first released in 2009 and has since grown into an app used by more than two billion people in over 180 countries. It's easy to see why, then, Facebook spent as much as it did over half a decade ago to purchase the company
Facebook purchased WhatsApp in February 2014 for an approximate total of $16 billion, broken down into $4 billion in cash and about $12 billion in Facebook shares. As part of the deal, the government provided WhatsApp's founders and employees with an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units. In all, it made for a major transaction that saw one of the world's most popular social media platforms take control of one of the world's most utilized communication services.
What Does WhatsApp's Future Look Like?
At the moment, it's still entirely unclear how the legal proceedings between the FTC and Facebook will play out. Whether or not the government is successful in breaking apart Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp remains to be seen. It could have a significant impact on the trajectory of WhatsApp's future, though.
Outside of these legal issues, WhatsApp has continued to implement new features to its service in recent months. In fact, in November, it introduced the ability for users in India to send digital payments through the app as long as they have an account with one of five leading banks in the country. With moves like that, the company seems to be gravitating towards being more than just a platform for communication.
In recent times, the U.S. government has shown its willingness to take action against social media platforms. Its on-again, off-again threats of banning TikTok proves as much. Even if the government does have success and is able to force the separation of the three companies, it may not have a drastic effect on WhatsApp's path. The platform is incredibly popular and serves as a useful tool for millions of people across the globe. Whether it's a part of Facebook or not, it's completely conceivable that WhatsApp will continue on its trajectory as a great free service for the world's community.