Google did not bid for WhatsApp: Sundar Pichai
It was rumoured that Facebook had outbid Google's 10 billion dollars offer to purchase WhatsApp.
Google has denied reports that it had made any formal bid to take over WhatsApp, which was recently purchased by Facebook.
Calling the reports “untrue”, Google’s Sundar Pichai said: “Whatsapp was definitely an exciting product. We never made an offer to acquire them. Press reports to the contrary are simply untrue.”
Acording to earlier reports, Google had offered $10 to purchase WhatsApp. The bid did not include a board seat, unlike the Facebook agreement.
WhatsApp’s $19 billion deal with Facebook includes $4 billion in cash, approximately $12 billion worth of Facebook shares and additional $3 billion in restricted stock units for WhatsApp’s founders and employees.
WhatsApp has emerged as the most popular and largest mobile messaging app. With over 450 million users worldwide, WhatsApp threatened the social networking websites, especially Facebook. Several studies showed mobile messaging apps have started to become preferred platform for interaction.
Mark Zuckerberg recently said WhatsApp’s 450 million plus user base is more significant than the $19 billion it paid. According to Zuckerberg, the move will help spread Internet access to more people.
He also acknowledged WhatsApp would be “quite a good bet” to be a major communications brand. He said: “I could be wrong. It could be the one service that reaches 1bn [users] and doesn’t become valuable.”
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Source: The Telegraph