While the news that social-networking giant Facebook recently snapped off a deal to pick upWhatsApp for $19 billion has been the talk of the tech world, recent reports claim that WhatsApp had rejected an offer by Google prior to accepting the one by Facebook.
According to new reports Google had made an offer of $10 billion to WhatsApp for a buyout. The report also states that Google CEO Larry Page made a last ditch effort last week, meeting with WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum to entice him once again. He even urged Koum to maintain the independence of his firm. Another report states Koum rejected the offer, given that Facebook was offering more money, and also a seat on its board of directors. Google didn’t offer a seat, in addition to less money.
The original report by The Information, says that Google offered to pay money to WhatsApp, (a few millions of dollars) if it agreed to tell Google, that it was entering into acquisition talks with other firms. Zuckerberg on the other hand informs that he entered into talks with WhatsApp only 11 days ago.
Co-founder of WhatsApp, Jan Koum has had the fairy tale dotcom story from the Silicon Valley, where the company began five years ago. His is a rags to riches story. Fortunes reversed themselves for co-founder Brian Acton as well, who was rejected by Facebook for a job in 2009.
While Google co-founder Larry Page might have advised the WhatsApp co-founder to keep his company independent, it might have actually been a last ditch effort by the search-engine giant to try and keep Facebook from buying the messaging app company out.
Source: NDTV
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