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31–40 of 93 posts

Re: Facebook

#31
post #21

~$40/user. Skype, second time, sold for ~$15/user. Time Warner just sold for ~$4/user. Good thing for FB bank account that "OTT messaging" is just a fad while the carriers get their acts together ; )

Is it even possible to monetize the app to such extent? I tried to use it a few times but never managed to see any hard money potential inside.

Re: Facebook

#33
post #4

I ask, cause I'm not sure- do anybody make real companies anymore?

No.

Most companies are conceived with an explicit exit strategy in mind from day one, and that strategy is usually:

  SELL OUT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, AND
  RETIRE EARLY, WHILE SOME OF US ARE STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO 
  ENJOY LIFE.

Re: Facebook

#34

Despide the fact that everybody got a strange feeling when reading the name "Facebook" in combination with WhatsApp: Congrats to the team of WhatsApp to build such a successful product in five years with a team of 32 engineers (~ $500 million/engineer). Reminder: They nearly replaced the SMS service worldwide. Let's hope that the words by Mark Zuckerberg will be the truth and WhatsApp will be kept as an independent p…

>> "a team of 32 engineers (~ $500 million/engineer)" Only if you consider the other employees worth/value to be $0.

An article mentions that Whatsapp spent $0 on user acquisition and marketing. If that's true, then yes, it's around $500 million/engineer.

Re: Facebook

#35
post #8

Assuming this is an acquisition, it's a poor one. Facebook undoubtedly paid too much for this.

From Techcrunch: " In a staggering comparison, Facebook also notes that the messaging volume of WhatsApp approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry — and that it’s adding 1M users a day."

It's a super fast growing messaging app, mostly used internationally, that is a legitimate competitor to Facebook; it's only a timeline/profile page away from being essentially another Facebook.

Don't discount the power of messaging apps -- whether they be aimed towards younger folk (a la Snapchat) or aimed towards international audiences (a la Kakao Talk.) I think it's not an acquisition Facebook WANTED to do, but HAD to.

Re: Facebook

#36
The fact about WhatsApp that blew me away is that they have 72% DAILY active users. I can't think of any other service with that kind of engagement. Even Facebook must be impressed at how often people come back to WhatsApp.

Re: Facebook

#37
post #36

The fact about WhatsApp that blew me away is that they have 72% DAILY active users. I can't think of any other service with that kind of engagement. Even Facebook must be impressed at how often people come back to WhatsApp.

Facebook is around 60% DAU I think.

Re: Facebook

#38

Today I started using Threema. Secure, group chat, picture stuff, and privacy seems alright.

If you really want secure , TextSecure is the best in that regard - according to crypto guys.

Re: Facebook

#39
post #36

The fact about WhatsApp that blew me away is that they have 72% DAILY active users. I can't think of any other service with that kind of engagement. Even Facebook must be impressed at how often people come back to WhatsApp.

It's just the nature of the service. It's a text messaging app. When you get a text you open it. I bet gmail has a similar active user ratio.

Re: Facebook

#40

Despide the fact that everybody got a strange feeling when reading the name "Facebook" in combination with WhatsApp: Congrats to the team of WhatsApp to build such a successful product in five years with a team of 32 engineers (~ $500 million/engineer). Reminder: They nearly replaced the SMS service worldwide. Let's hope that the words by Mark Zuckerberg will be the truth and WhatsApp will be kept as an independent p…

Clearly this team has been quite successful! I can't agree say that they have almost replaced SMS, as many people communicate with me through SMS or iMessage. I have never used whatsapp nor has anybody a requested that I use it with them. As far as other messaging, everybody I know uses kik or Skype.
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