WhatsApp causes losses to Facebook
Now that the messaging application WhatsApp is owned by Facebookofficially and definitively, the company of the social network has published the economic results of the quarterrelated to said communication tool. Some surprising data for showing how unprofitable WhatsApp is being for Facebook, even incurring in loss despite the fame, the value of the application and the cost it entailed for the social network.
According to data published by Facebook, the application WhatsApp only generated 10 million dollars in profit during the year 2014 A figure that is not Not bad considering that does not make use of or other business models apart from their 0, 89 euros cost per renewal annual An affordable rate for any type of user for a service that is used every day and almost at all hours.
The problem is that, during the same period of time, the messaging application has lost no less than 140 million dollars A more than considerable sum for a company of such size. Losses that, despite the benefits achieved, would not be able to return to Facebook the more than 22 billiondollars you spent to purchase this application.
Although, this is only a pinch for Facebook A company that, with almost three times as many users as WhatsApp and different lines of business among which the ads of , has achieved 3,200 million profits during this 2014 Data that does not allow comparison between the social network and the messaging application both for their monetization systems, and for their history , number of users and lifetime.
However, buying WhatsApp cannot be considered as a waste of money. And it is that, although it still does not produce benefits for Facebook, it means having a legion of usersfrom around the world, more than 600 million according to the latest estimates, which the social network did not count among its ranks.All of them on the mobile platforms, being a point in favor for the future of companies like Facebook
In addition, it is known that a good part of the 140 million losses of WhatsApp have been spent in hiring and salary of workers Salaries that may be high for a small company, but that seems to bet on resources and human value.
Other interesting data that emerges from the financial report of Facebook is the breakdown of those 22 thousand million dollars invested in the purchase of WhatsApp Thus, it is now known that 2 billion were used to buy the user base of the messaging application, others 448 million were invested in the acquisition of the brand, 228 million to get their communication technology and the remaining 15, 3 billion in “goodwill”.
We will have to see from now on if Facebook decides to change the course of WhatsApp in terms of finances. Even more so knowing that phone calls through the service are coming down. However, both Mark Zuckerberg, responsible for Facebook, and Jan Koum, responsible for WhatsApp, have affirmed actively and passively that no will include in the messaging application.
