--- description: The final hurdle in the deal was crossed on Friday, when the European Union approved the acquisition title: Facebook Seals WhatsApp Purchase image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40b67fa40a3111c4/69869f3913c79f9aa31936cf/facebook-messenger.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Facebook Completes Its $22 Billion Purchase of WhatsApp by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 7, 2014 7:29 AM CUT  BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 25: Facebook next to the WhatsApp logo on iPhone hold by a hand. on February 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Marie Waldmann/Photothek via Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 25: Facebook next to the WhatsApp logo on iPhone hold by a hand. on February 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Marie Waldmann/Photothek via Getty Images)Marie Waldmann—Photothek/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 7, 2014 7:29 AM CUT Facebook officially [sealed](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000132680114000037/fb%5F8-kxclosingxofxwhatsapp.htm "undefined") its massive purchase of WhatsApp, a report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stated, with a [final price](http://news.yahoo.com/facebooks-whatsapp-acquisition-now-price-tag-22-billion-173551255--finance.html "undefined") of about $22 billion. The popular instant-messaging app has been operating independently since agreeing to an acquisition by the social-media giant back in February, but the finalizing of the deal is undoubtedly a step toward greater support, and control, from Facebook. Ukrainian immigrant Jan Koum and former Yahoo engineer Brian Acton, the founders of WhatsApp, [pocketed](http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2014/10/06/facebook-closes-19-billion-whatsapp-deal/ "undefined") $6.8 billion and $3.5 billion in the deal respectively, according to _Forbes_. Koum will also get a seat on the board, where his $1 salary will match that of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The final hurdle in the deal was crossed on Friday, when the E.U. approved the purchase after much resistance from Europe’s telecommunications industry. “We have carefully reviewed this proposed acquisition and come to the conclusion that it would not hamper competition in this dynamic and growing market,” the _Wall Street Journal_ [reported](http://online.wsj.com/articles/eu-regulators-greenlight-facebooks-purchase-of-whatsapp-1412330466 "undefined") the E.U.’s antitrust chief Joaquín Almunia as stating. WhatsApp, with over 600 million users across Europe, Asia and the Americas, presents an immense opportunity for Facebook, although how it will be used remains to be seen. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/"},"headline":"Facebook Completes Its $22 Billion Purchase of WhatsApp","datePublished":"2014-10-07T07:29:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:03:20.487Z","description":"The final hurdle in the deal was crossed on Friday, when the E.U. approved the purchase after much resistance from Europe’s telecommunications industry","url":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/","keywords":["Tech","facebook","Social Networking","whatsapp","Mark Zuckerberg","deals","acquisition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40b67fa40a3111c4/69869f3913c79f9aa31936cf/facebook-messenger.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40b67fa40a3111c4/69869f3913c79f9aa31936cf/facebook-messenger.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Social Networks Facebook WhatsApp.","caption":"Social Networks Facebook WhatsApp.","creditText":"Marie Waldmann—Photothek/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/","name":"Facebook Completes Its $22 Billion Purchase of WhatsApp"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Facebook Forces Messenger Migration","description":"If you use an iPhone or Android phone, Facebook says it will officially begin a forced messaging migration from the original Facebook app to Facebook Messenger.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/qY1ThBHk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-07-29T17:56:25.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qY1ThBHk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/","duration":"PT1M25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3477028/facebook-whatsapp-19-billion-dollar-deal/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```