Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. Business of apps estimates that WhatsApp brought in an 8.7 billion in revenue in 2021. In 2020, WhatsApp launched a payment feature in India with roughly 400 million users. The company laid off 12% of their workforce in December and even though the stock is still down 30% over the past year, it has tripled in five days.
Happy President's Day! Pivot will return on Friday. Today, an episode from our other favorite podcast: The Prof G Pod.
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the Plain English podcast, joins Scott to discuss why he believes America is at a standstill when it comes to progress, including the lack of trust in institutions and a need for an abundance agenda. Follow Derek on Twitter, @DKThomp.
Scott opens by discussing potential business opportunities for WhatsApp. He then shares his thoughts on Buzzfeed’s decision to use OpenAi to create content.
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