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WhatsApp
AcquiredJanuary 29, 2020
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We kick off Season 6 with a long-awaited Acquired Classic: Facebook’s $22B purchase of WhatsApp in 2014, which still ranks as the largest acquisition of a private VC-backed startup in history. Yet despite that enormous pricetag and all its associated fanfare, as we sit here 5+ years later WhatsApp actually generates LESS revenue than the meager ~$20m it was bringing in at the time of acquisition. Was this this worst acquisition of all-time, or a brilliant strategic chess move by Mark Zuckerberg & co? Tune in as we render Acquired’s judgement! Note: Unfortunately David’s audio quality in this episode was impacted by a technical glitch which we didn’t discover until after recording. Our editors worked super hard to fix in post-production, but it’s still not totally perfect. We hope you’ll give it a listen regardless, and we’re working on getting a transcript made ASAP, which we’ll post to the website when it’s ready. Thanks for bearing with us, -Ben & David
1 book mention in this episode.
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Books Mentioned
“You can read 1984, of course, the book 1984, but living there was experiencing it.”
Sentiment: Passing Reference
Trigger: communism and messaging apps
For: Readers interested in the impact of oppressive regimes on personal development
Key quote: “You can read 1984, of course, the book 1984, but living there was experiencing it.”
The host mentions '1984' to illustrate the oppressive environment Jan Koum experienced while growing up in the Soviet Union. This reference serves to highlight the stark contrast between his early life and his later success in America.
ASIN: 605746222X
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