????還記得2012年的那一幕嗎？當(dāng)時(shí)一款發(fā)展迅猛、名叫Instagram的照片分享軟件被以十億美元的出價(jià)收購(gòu)，大家覺(jué)得那是很大一筆銀子?，F(xiàn)在看來(lái)，這筆錢實(shí)在不值一提。Facebook公司剛剛宣布，計(jì)劃以至少16倍于Instagram收購(gòu)價(jià)的天價(jià)收購(gòu)移動(dòng)通訊應(yīng)用公司W(wǎng)hatsApp。此外還要加上給WhatsApp員工和創(chuàng)始人的30億美元限制性股票，從而使收購(gòu)總價(jià)飆升到190億美元。

????作為這筆交易的一部分，WhatsApp聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官讓?庫(kù)姆將加入Facebook董事會(huì)。同時(shí)，與Instagram當(dāng)初的情況一樣，WhatsApp也將繼續(xù)在自有品牌下獨(dú)立運(yùn)營(yíng)。

????Facebook之所以對(duì)這家公司這么感興趣，可能主要和這家公司飛速增長(zhǎng)的態(tài)勢(shì)以及其深厚的用戶基礎(chǔ)有關(guān)。WhatsApp號(hào)稱目前有4.5億名活躍用戶，這是過(guò)去九個(gè)月里增長(zhǎng)一倍多達(dá)到的數(shù)字。更重要的是，超過(guò)70%的用戶每天都會(huì)登錄。而且，WhatsApp在國(guó)際用戶中尤其受歡迎。

????這筆交易中的大贏家將是紅杉資本（Sequoia）。2011年，這家風(fēng)投公司向WhatsApp投資了800萬(wàn)美元——也是它唯一募得的風(fēng)投。紅杉資本的合伙人吉姆?喬茨主導(dǎo)了這筆投資，同時(shí)進(jìn)入了這家公司的董事會(huì)。他在一篇博客文章中描述過(guò)，WhatsApp公司的企業(yè)文化是多么富于自律精神，而庫(kù)姆和聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人布萊恩?阿克頓對(duì)廣告又是多么避之不及（他寫道：“讓的桌子上貼著一張布萊恩給他的小紙條，上面寫著‘不要廣告！不要游戲！不要噱頭！’”）。相反，他們只專注于為用戶提供簡(jiǎn)單易用的通訊體驗(yàn)。這項(xiàng)服務(wù)第一年免費(fèi)，此后也只需要每年一美元。他還著重指出，WhatsApp的增長(zhǎng)可謂突飛猛進(jìn)，而且從沒(méi)有在營(yíng)銷上花過(guò)一分錢。

????喬茨表示，F(xiàn)acebook已向亞倫和庫(kù)姆保證，WhatsApp可以保持不植入廣告的狀態(tài)，也不用犧牲自己的商業(yè)原則。而庫(kù)姆在董事會(huì)的位置可能會(huì)幫助他確保這一點(diǎn)。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：清遠(yuǎn)

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????Remember back in 2012 when a billion dollars seemed like a lot of money to pay for a fast-growing photosharing app called Instagram? Turns out, that's nothing. Facebook (FB) has just announced plans to purchase mobile messaging service WhatsApp for at least sixteen times that. The company will pay an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp employees and founders, bringing Facebook's total cost to $19 billion.

????As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook Board of Directors. And just as with Instagram, WhatsApp will continue to operate independently under its own brand.

????Facebook's strong interest in the service likely has to do with the fast clip at which WhatsApp is growing, as well as its deep user engagement. The serviced boasts 450 million active users, a number that has more than doubled over the past nine months. What's more, more than 70% of them log on every single day. And WhatsApp is particularly popular with international users.

????A major winner in this deal will be Sequoia, the venture capital firm that invested $8 million in the company—the only venture funding raised—back in 2011. In a blog post, Sequoia partner Jim Goetz, who led the investment and sits on the board, describes a disciplined company culture in which Koum and cofounder Brian Acton eschew ads ("Jan keeps a note from Brian taped to his desk that reads 'No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!'" writes Goetz) and instead focus on a simple messaging experience that is free for the first year and then costs just a dollar a year. He points out that WhatsApp's growth has been entirely viral; the company hasn't spent a cent on marketing.

????Goetz says Facebook has assured Aaron and Koum that WhatsApp can remain ad free and they will not have to compromise their business principles. Koum's board seat will likely help him insure this.