WhatsApp Goes Ad-free after being bought out by Meta in 2014.
On February 19th, 2014, Meta(formerly Facebook Inc.) took over as the app's owner from former Yahoo employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum. They bought it out for $19 billion, and since then the value has already been multiplied over five times sitting at a cool $98 billion. After being bought, the app decided to get rid of ads completely, along with its annual subscription service to use the platform. With a new and improved clean user interface, the app skyrocketed in popularity and became much more widely used. In my personal opinion, whatsapp is a great application. It gives users the opportunity to, when connected to the internet, text, call, video chat, etc… with anyone, anytime, anywhere. It gives people that maybe can't afford a phone plan to have access to mass communication. With its feature of end to end encryption and being available on almost all platforms, users can feel safe when communicating on almost any one of countless device types. The app makes most of its revenue from a source known as Whatsapp Business API. This service gives people access to countless features, as listed in figure 1. Overall, I think the app is a great tool that can benefit millions upon millions of people.
Figure 1:
Valentine’s Day: A Corporate Gimmick or a Celebration of Love?
Every February 14th, we’re bombarded with heart-shaped chocolates, overpriced roses, and the pressure to prove our love with material things. But let’s be real—Valentine’s Day has strayed far from its romantic roots. It’s now a billion-dollar industry that profits off our emotions, creating unrealistic expectations and unnecessary stress.
Why should love be confined to just one day? Genuine relationships thrive on everyday acts of kindness, not just grand gestures in mid-February. For singles, it can feel like an exclusive club they didn’t ask to join, reinforcing loneliness instead of love.
Instead of buying into the hype, let’s redefine Valentine’s Day. Show appreciation for loved ones year-round. Support small businesses instead of mega-corporations. And most importantly, remember that love—whether romantic, platonic, or self-love—isn’t measured by how much you spend.