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Economy

xchrom

(108,903 posts)

6. Inequality, Productivity, and WhatsApp by Robert Reich

Reply to Tansy_Gold (Original post)

Fri Feb 21, 2014, 08:46 AM

Feb 2014

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/02/21-2

If you ever wonder what’s fueling America’s staggering inequality, ponder Facebook’s acquisition of the mobile messaging company WhatsApp .

According to news reports, Facebook has agreed to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion.

That’s the highest price paid for a startup in history. It’s $3 billion more than Facebook raised when it was first listed, and more than twice what Microsoft paid for Skype.

(To be precise, $12 billion of the $19 billion will be in the form of shares in Facebook, $4 billion will be in cash, and $3 billion in restricted stock to WhatsApp staff, which will vest in four years.)

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