Google wanted to pay more for WhatsApp than Facebook

Google was willing to pay more than Facebook for WhatsApp, a technology website reports. WhatsApp, however, went into business with Facebook, because the company suspected that Google only wanted to harm Facebook.

Exactly how much Google would like to pay is unclear, but it is at least more than the $ 19 billion that Facebook pays in total, writes The Information. That site has been bringing more rumors lately and has previously correctly predicted that HP would come with cheap 6″ and 7″ smartphones.

Larry Page of Google is said to have met with one of the founders of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, last week. He promised him that WhatsApp could remain independent in the hands of Google. “Becoming part of Facebook is going to have a big impact on how things will play out in the coming years,” Page is said to have told Koum.

However, Google would have been mainly interested in WhatsApp to keep the company out of Facebook’s hands; something that the founders of WhatsApp also suspected and which helped them decide to go into business with Facebook. CNN already reported on Thursday that Google had wanted to acquire WhatsApp, but for ‘only’ 7.3 billion euros.

Facebook will pay a total of 19 billion dollars for the acquisition of the chat service, or 13.9 billion euros. WhatsApp itself is paid 16 billion dollars, or 11.7 billion euros, of which 4 billion dollars in cash and the rest in shares. To bind WhatsApp staff to the company in the coming years, they will receive an additional $3 billion.