Facebook to acquire WhatsApp for $16 billion

Deal split between cash and stock, with $3 billion more for founders and employees over the next 4 years

Facebook has announced that it will buy cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp for a total of $16 billion, split between cash and stock. The deal was announced today by Facebook as a definitive agreement, with the messaging service receiving $4 billion in cash and aonther $12 billion in Facebook stock, with the option for another $3 billion in restricted stock units also available to be vested in four years.

WhatsApp, which has over 450 million monthly active users, is one of the biggest players in the messaging wars today. Facebook quotes some statistics, stating that WhatsApp is adding one million more users every day, with a total message volume on the network approaching that of global SMS traffic.

Source: Facebook

source: androidcentral