WhatsApp’s top boss on Friday denied a Financial Times report that the Meta Platforms-owned messaging platform was exploring advertising as it seeks to boost revenue.
Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, posted on social media platform
The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the Meta team is discussing whether to display ads in the contact conversation list on the WhatsApp chat screen, but has not yet made a final decision.
The Financial Times added that Meta is also considering whether to charge a subscription fee to use the app without interruptions.
WhatsApp told the Financial Times in a statement, “We can’t account for every conversation someone has in the company, but we won’t be testing and studying this, and that’s simply not our plan.”
The Financial Times also stated that many company insiders opposed the move.
Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion, and the app has always been a free messaging app.
Meta is already working hard to increase WhatsApp’s revenue. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said last year that WhatsApp and Messenger would drive the company’s next wave of sales growth and that business messaging “will probably be the next major pillar of Meta’s business.”
As of June this year, WhatsApp’s Business app served more than 200 million users on its platform, a fourfold increase from three years ago.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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