US$19 Billion, Too Big To Understand. Facebook/WhatsApp Acquisition

Techcrunch reports that ‘Facebook is purchasing messaging giant WhatsApp for $16 billion in cash and stock, according to a regulatory filing. The deal is being cut for $12 billion in Facebook shares, $4 billion in cash and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units (RSUs) for employee retention.’

As they write in a separate article,

With 450 million monthly users and a million more signing up each day, WhatsApp was just too far ahead in the international mobile messaging race for Facebook to catch up, as you can see in the chart above that we made last year. Facebook either had to surrender the linchpin to mobile social networking abroad, or pony up and acquire WhatsApp before it got any bigger. It chose the latter.

I think it’s a master stroke genius of a move to bolster Facebook’s international footprint, based on the statistics that I’ve been seeing. Good move. WhatsApp get a big backer too.