Back in the day, WhatsApp was an app that promised to offer free services forever, and users were told that they would never be forced to see ads. However, years went by and Facebook purchased WhatsApp. Many users worried that the social media company might change their favorite communication app for the worst. It turns out they were not wrong.
The ad update
WhatsApp is about to receive a controversial update. The app that once promised that it will stay away from ads is about to receive adverts. Business wise, this is a smart move, since WhatsApp is used by 1.5 billion persons every month.
The adverts will appear in the “Status” feature of the app. We can expect this change to show up next year. We doubt that users will be too pleased with the news, but they are not the only revolted ones.
The update will be called “status ads” and adverts will appear between status updates. The status function allows users to post images or videos that disappear after 24 hours. However, according to Whatsapp, 450 million users use this page.
Senior staff members leaving
The upcoming update is so controversial that it determined multiple staff members to leave the company. The WhatsApp co-founders, Brian Acton and Jan Koum were the first ones to leave, and Acton blamed the upcoming targeted advertising system.
Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy. You build it once, it runs everywhere in every country. You don’t need a sophisticated sales force. It’s a very simple business.
Business Neeraj Arora is the latest WhatsApp employee that abandons the ship. He published a statement on Facebook. He ended his post by thanking the former co-founders:
I am deeply indebted to Jan and Brian, who entrusted me to be their business companion for so many years and I am thankful to each one of you who has supported me along the way and made this exciting journey possible.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.
