Posted on 03/06/2014 3:46:42 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
GoogleGOOG +0.28% was flirting with WhatsApp before FacebookFB +3.87% swooped in and bought the text-messaging service for $19 billion last month. Wednesday, a top Google executive suggested Facebook overpaid.
At the Morgan StanleyMS +2.80% technology conference in San Francisco, analyst Scott Devitt asked Google Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora how Google might generate revenue from its Android mobile operating system other than through advertising and sharing revenue from apps.
Arora asked Devitt for suggestions. The analyst mentioned mobile messaging apps, which are especially popular in Asia.
Arora was skeptical. “$500 million per employee? Is that a good use of our money?” Arora said. “Are you recommending we buy some Asian messaging service?”
WhatsApp has 55 employees, meaning Facebook’s acquisition works out to $345 million per employee. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
Every WhatsApp message I’ve received (via email) has been a phony and just trying to get me to click on what I suspect was a link to some bad juju.
weird, i only talk to my friends in other countries for “free”. works with similar functions like skype more or less.
it’s very popular in asian countries like singapore.
When someone overpays this much for something that everyone else is paying for the next part of the conversation turns to kickbacks — who got them and how much.
I’m not familiar with the app except for the emails I get telling me someone left me a message. The time/date stamp is always several weeks old. An internet search indicated the emails are from scammers/could.
The app itself may be very useful.
Google offered $10 billion. Still way overpriced.
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