The global tech firm announced this week that it will own 20% of Bengaluru-based Cred, which rewards people who pay their credit-card bills on time
Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox reached out to Shah directly in the spring, seeking advice on picking the future leader of WhatsApp
Shah has a portfolio of about 298 companies, focusing primarily on sectors such as consumer tech, fintech, SaaS, climate tech, AI and edtech
With hundreds of millions of users, millions of businesses and a rapidly growing digital economy, India has become the most important market for WhatsApp
With Cred founder Kunal Shah set to lead WhatsApp globally, here's a look at the evolution of the app that transformed digital communication and largely replaced SMS across the world
Kunal Shah's appointment to WhatsApp adds to a growing list of Indian business leaders who built careers in India before rising to top roles at global firms
The platform operates a members-only financial rewards programme that targets users with high credit scores and offers them rewards and discounts
Shah will succeed Will Cathcart, who has led WhatsApp since 2019. Cathcart will move to a newly created division within Meta focused on building next-generation products
Meta acquires a minority stake in Cred through a $900 million investment and appoints founder Kunal Shah as global head of WhatsApp
The investment gives Meta a roughly 20 per cent stake in Cred, which operates an app that rewards customers for paying their credit card bills on time
A temporary restriction by Indian government, linked to NEET-UG, has renewed scrutiny of Telegram and its unusual evolution from a messaging app into a broadcasting and content-sharing platform
Meta is rolling out paid “Plus” subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, offering added customisation, analytics and engagement tools. Alongside this, Meta is also testing “Meta One”
European Union regulators on Tuesday ordered Meta Platforms to restore access to WhatsApp for rival AI chatbot makers until its antitrust investigation is complete. The bloc's executive Commission, which is the 27-nation EU's top antitrust and competition enforcer, said it was taking action to prevent harm to competition in the growing market for AI assistants before it's too late. The commission said it was imposing "interim measures" while it continues its investigation into WhatsApp's artificial intelligence policy over concerns the company is breaching EU law by blocking competitors from offering their AI assistants on the platform. Meta said it would appeal. "The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free," the company said in a statement. "This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay." Brussels has been resorting to temporary orders after
WhatsApp is testing a native logout option that allows users to sign out without uninstalling the app or deleting the account, while preserving chats, settings and login information
Meta is bringing a new Incognito Chat feature to WhatsApp and the Meta AI app, promising temporary AI chats that even the company cannot access
WhatsApp has started rolling out WhatsApp Plus to select users, adding custom themes, app icons, premium stickers, extra pinned chats, and personalised ringtone options
WhatsApp is reportedly testing chat themes for its web client, allowing users to customise wallpapers, message bubbles, and chat colours directly from browsers
Cert-In has warned WhatsApp users about multiple security flaws that could allow attackers to execute malicious code and gain unauthorised access on affected devices
WhatsApp is testing a translucent 'Liquid Glass' chat interface for iPhone, aligning with Apple's iOS design language, though the feature remains in beta and is yet to roll out widely
Through much of 2025, the special agent had been looking into claims that some Meta employees and contractors could see the content of encrypted WhatsApp messages