The smartphone App industry and the mobile world are abuzz with the latest deal between two market leaders – Facebook, world’s most successful social networking website, and WhatsApp, the leading smartphone messaging service. Reports about some business deals between Facebook and WhatsApp have surfaced time and again, but this time it is official. Facebook buys WhatsApp, which has 450 million users, for $19b in cash and stock. Founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009, WhatsApp is considered a fairytale startup as it already has millions of users in its five years of existence and the number is increasing with the rate of a million/ day. Its ever-increasingly popularity can be attributed to its availability on various mobile platforms and no-nonsense functionality. The jaw-dropping price tag has certainly stunned industry insiders and mobile enthusiasts alike. What makes this deal one of the most talked about deals is that it’s worth more than what Facebook raised in its own IPO.
What does this deal bring for the users of WhatsApp? Should the users expect some sudden changes? Is this going to be a profitable deal? Ganesha finds out.
19th February 2014
6 PM, New York
- FB WhatsApp deal was signed at the time of a planetary stellium in Libra and in the third House of Communications.
- FB WhatsApp, as a single unit, is likely to expand its reach by leaps and bounds.
- Social media and networking will reach new horizons with this merger.
- There will be new creative ideas floating in the market after the merger of these two giants.
- The company will collect money from the market and also from users, as Mercury, the Lord of the 2nd and 11th House, is placed in the 6th House. In short, usage of this platform is going to cost us dearly.
- The platform will also be widely used for commercial purposes. Retrograde Jupiter in the 11th House of merger time chart indicates that the company is going to come up with highly unconventional ideas to expand their reach further.
- Challenges and a major turning point are envisaged after 17th October 2015
- All the changes the company brings in will not be sudden – but gradual.
- Within the next three years, there will be major changes in and departures from the organisation. This also indicates that many employees holding important positions will be replaced by new.
- With Rahu’s entry in Virgo in July 2014, Facebook’s newfound Unit is going to face financial upheavals. Meanwhile, Jupiter would have already entered Cancer. In that case too, expenses required for handling both Facebook and WhatsApp as individual businesses would increase.
- To make its platforms – either WhatsApp as it is now or as a new revamped version – more popular and to expand its reach, the organization Facebook is going to try very hard post mid-2014.
- The moment Saturn enters Scorpio in November 2014, however, the hard time would begin for the Facebook-WhatsApp conjunction Unit. Though, it’s not going to stop the overall progress of FB, the organisation (especially the Unit created with WhatsApp) may start facing internal troubles.
- Neither of the parties (FB or WhatsApp) will find the decision of joining hands – as wrong. Nor, will they be demoralised by any challenges.
- The retrograde Jupiter’s position in Gemini at the time of the deal indicates that unless Facebook Inc’s approach towards this whole newfound concept/ Unit is ‘unconventional’, it won’t be able to expand its overall reach. WhatsApp-FB reach in the communication medium would increase for sure, but only if some ‘out of the box’ ideas are implemented – otherwise the growth may remain stagnant.
- Venus-Pluto combination in Sagittarius in the acquisition time chart indicates that FB-WhatsApp division may form an umbrella of entertainment services (or an attractive media platform), which may end up losing its credibility or tarnishing its secure image (despite security provisions) – owing to issues like nudity etc. Thus, Facebook Inc. will have to be very very careful, when they come up with any new offering with the WhatsApp combination.
Are you on the verge of taking a major business decision? Get 100% reliable advice on the matter before signing any contracts or agreements. Avail Business Ask A Question – Detailed Advice report now.
With Ganesha’s Grace,
Dharmeshh Joshi,
The GaneshaSpeaks Team
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