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<ul><li><keyword id="468884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Arora" source="Orion">Neeraj Arora</keyword>, the former chief business officer of <keyword id="790242" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="WhatsApp" source="Orion">WhatsApp</keyword> has said that he regrets the sale to Facebook. </li><li>Arora, who helped in negotiations with Facebook says WhatsApp today is a shadow of its earlier versions. </li><li>WhatsApp is currently Meta’s second biggest platform. </li></ul>Popular messaging app WhatsApp was acquired by Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook (now known as Meta) in 2014 for around $22 billion in cash and stock. The messaging app’s former chief business officer Neeraj Arora who helped in the negotiations now says that he regrets it. Facebook had acquired WhatsApp in a multi-billion dollar deal, making it the biggest acquisition for the company. The acquisition happened around five years after WhatsApp was launched and three years after Arora joined the company. In a series of <a href="https://twitter.com/neerajarora/status/1521964283466113024">tweets</a>, Neeraj Arora talks about the circumstances around the deal and the promises made by Facebook to convince WhatsApp’s founder Brain Acton to sell the app to the social media giant. “In 2014, I was the Chief Business Officer of WhatsApp and I helped negotiate the $22 billion sale to Facebook. Today, I regret it,” Arora said on Twitter. According to Arora, Facebook had approached WhatsApp for acquiring the messaging app in 2012/2013 and the latter had rejected the offer. However, Facebook approached WhatsApp once again in 2014. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Promises made by Facebook" comment="subhead" text="Promises made by Facebook">Promises made by Facebook</cmsannotation> Arora claims that Facebook’s offer in 2014 sounded like a partnership due to the promises made by the Zuckerberg led company. <ul><li>Full support for end-to-end encryption. </li><li>No ads. </li><li>Independence on product decisions. </li><li>Board seat for Jan Koum (WhatsApp cofounder and former CEO). </li><li>Office in Mountain View. </li></ul>Arora added that Facebook claimed that it supported WhatsApp’s mission of offering a service without any ads, games or gimmicks. He also added that Facebook had agreed to WhatsApp’s following terms – no mining user data, no ads and no cross-platform tracking. “Of course, that’s not what happened,” says Arora. The final nail in the coffin was the Cambridge Analytica scandal which revealed that personal data of millions of Facebook users was collected by Cambridge Analytica without user consent. Brian Acton had shared a tweet, asking people to delete Facebook. <div type="twitter" handle="brianacton" handlename="Brian Acton" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/85157243/acton_normal.jpg" favoritecount="32506" retweetcount="12064" status="It is time. #deletefacebook" createdat="1521586819000" id="976231995846963201"></div> “Today, WhatsApp is Facebook’s second largest platform (even bigger than Instagram or FB Messenger). But it’s a shadow of the product we poured our hearts into, and wanted to build for the world,” says Arora. In an attack on Facebook’s policies around user data, Arora said, “Nobody knew in the beginning that Facebook would become a Frankenstein monster that devoured user data and spat out dirty money. We didn’t either.” Arora is the cofounder of <keyword id="13828131" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HalloApp" source="Orion">HalloApp</keyword>, which has raised funds from Sequoia Capital, Brian Acton, former Facebook board director Jim Breyer and others. HalloApp intends to charge a subscription fee to its subscribers, which is expected to be between $2 to $5 per month. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-called-out-apples-app-store-fee-saying-its-like-having-a-30-tax-on-the-internet/articleshow/91324986.cms">Elon Musk called out Apple's App Store fee, saying it's 'like having a 30% tax on the Internet'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-whistleblower-is-optimistic-about-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-and-says-musk-can-take-feedback-better-than-mark-zuckerberg/articleshow/91213942.cms">Facebook whistleblower is optimistic about Elon Musk's Twitter takeover and says Musk can take feedback better than Mark Zuckerberg</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/facebook-parent-meta-soars-17-after-q1-results-show-user-growth-recovery-and-mark-zuckerberg-reins-in-metaverse-spending/articleshow/91151852.cms">Facebook parent Meta soars 16% after Q1 results show user growth recovery, and Mark Zuckerberg reins in metaverse spending</a>

Neeraj Arora, former chief business officer of WhatsApp regrets sale to Facebook

<ul><li>Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue, two of <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword>’s earliest employees, have launched a new private social network.</li><li>Named the <keyword id="11677784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="halloapp">HalloApp</keyword>, the company promises that it will always be ad-free, algorithm-free and all messages are encrypted by default.</li><li>HalloApp is available for download from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.</li></ul>At a time when gaining wide reach on social networks is commonplace, having a private social network might seem contrary to what people want. And yet, two of WhatsApp’s earliest employees have gone ahead and launched just that, a private social network called HalloApp. HalloApp is now available to download and install on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/halloapp/id1501583052">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.halloapp">Android devices</a>. From early impressions, it seems to be a mix of the now-defunct Path app and WhatsApp – HalloApp draws inspiration from Path when it comes to the “private social network” part, and from WhatsApp, when it comes to adding and chatting with friends – the only way you can find people is by having their phone number. As an added bonus, the app does not have any ads and all messages are encrypted by default. The two employees behind the app are Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue. Both Arora and Donohue were with WhatsApp before and after the Facebook acquisition. While Arora was with the company until 2018, Donohue left in 2019. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora" comment="subhead" text="Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora">Social media has turned into a ‘digital mall’, says Arora</cmsannotation> Our social media feeds have become algorithm-driven – this applies to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but more so for the latter two, as Twitter gives an option to switch to a chronological timeline. Even YouTube’s recommended videos are <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/how-youtubes-algorithm-really-works/575212/">tuned by algorithms</a>, with “Where you hoped to have meaningful conversations, instead you found yourself falling down the rabbit hole of blinking red notifications and an algorithmic feed of meaningless content,” Arora said in a <a href="https://halloapp.com/blog/real-relationship-network/">blog post</a>, highlighting the pitfalls of algorithm-driven feeds. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Getting to know HalloApp" comment="subhead" text="Getting to know HalloApp">Getting to know HalloApp</cmsannotation> HalloApp’s interface is pretty simple – and by some extent, barebones, right now. The app is divided into three tabs – the Home feed, groups and chats. The Home feed is where posts from your friends and family show up. Arora describes it as such, taking aim at virtually most of the major social networks out there: “No ads. No bots. No likes. No trolls. No followers. No algorithms. No influencers. No photo filters. No “feed fatigue.” No misinformation spreading like wildfire.” He also goes ahead to explain that the company will eventually offer additional features in the app at a small cost. Groups and chats are self-explanatory. Right now, the chats screen shows the people are who have signed up on HalloApp. It will be interesting to see if HalloApp gains traction at a time when the Pegasus spyware has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apples-iphone-has-a-major-blinking-red-five-alarm-fire-problem-with-imessage-security-according-to-a-cybersecurity-researcher/articleshow/84555122.cms">reportedly used with iMessage</a> and WhatsApp as two of the several attack vectors. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-among-top-three-countries-facing-phishing-attacks-via-whatsapp-and-telegram-reveals-report/articleshow/84401513.cms">India among top three countries facing phishing attacks via WhatsApp and Telegram, reveals report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/youtube-shorts-begins-rolling-out-globally-as-it-looks-to-catch-up-with-tiktok/articleshow/84376695.cms">YouTube Shorts begins rolling out globally as it looks to catch up with TikTok</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/photo-editing-and-app-lock-features-android-apps-caught-stealing-users-facebook-passwords/articleshow/84136996.cms">Android apps with over 5.8 million downloads caught stealing users’ Facebook passwords</a>

Two of WhatsApp's earliest employees have launched a private, ad-free social network

India’s leading digital payments and financial services firm <keyword id="6357120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="paytm" source="Orion">Paytm</keyword> swung to an operating profit for the first time in Q3FY23, significantly ahead of its target of September 2023. The QR and mobile payments pioneer posted EBITDA before ESOP costs of ₹31 crore, showing an improvement of ₹424 crore from a year ago. Paytm said its revenue from operations rose 42% year-on-year to ₹2,062 crore in the October-December quarter, with growth driven by increase in merchant subscription revenues, growth in loan distribution and momentum in commerce business. Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted, “Paytm, a business built from scratch with conviction on Digital India. From our first app release to becoming a verb in India to operating EBITDA profitability milestone - all in 10 years! Super Proud of Paytm team.” <div type="twitter" handle="kunalb11" handlename="Kunal Shah" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1190747917998546944/D3U5FNa7_normal.jpg" favoritecount="243" retweetcount="3" status="@vijayshekhar @Paytm Congrats, Vijay." createdat="1675442785000" id="1621550689112543232"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="RajanAnandan" handlename="Rajan Anandan" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000840024871/fb10b21c1166534dc307442c4f07f406_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="31" retweetcount="4" status="Congratulations @vijayshekhar and team @Paytm! https://t.co/y322QUVfHL" createdat="1675443652000" id="1621554324408242176"></div> The news of Paytm's profitability has been met with celebration from the startup and investor community, with CRED Founder Kunal Shah and Sequoia Capital India MD Rajan Anandan taking to social media to congratulate the company and its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma. Alan Mamedi, the Co-Founder and CEO of Truecaller and noted YouTuber and investor Tanmay Bhat also congratulated Sharma. <div type="twitter" handle="thetanmay" handlename="Tanmay Bhat" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/870589688465182720/RhRnOiGG_normal.jpg" favoritecount="86" retweetcount="0" status="@vijayshekhar @Paytm Awesome stuff! Congrats VSS!" createdat="1675443083000" id="1621551938314866691"></div> “Good first steps in the Marathon that lies ahead Vijay,” wrote UpGrad co-founder and serial entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala. <div type="twitter" handle="helloanand" handlename="Anand Jain" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1460472641647611908/wW0e3qqx_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="0" status="@vijayshekhar @Paytm Superb boss 🙏" createdat="1675445233000" id="1621560956546605061"></div> Edtech startups LEAD’s Sumeet Yashpal Mehta, Stage.in’s Vinay Singhal, HalloApp’s Neeraj Arora, logistics aggregator Raaho’s Imthiaz and CleverTap’s Anand Jain were among the founders who celebrated Paytm’s success and expressed their excitement for the company’s future. <div type="twitter" handle="neerajarora" handlename="neeraj arora" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1528054943671672833/1415qxDr_normal.jpg" favoritecount="23" retweetcount="0" status="@vijayshekhar @Paytm well done, a great milestone not only for Paytm but also the tech ecosystem." createdat="1675452310000" id="1621590637270245379"></div> HalloApp Founder and former Chief Business Officer of WhatsApp Neeraj Arora, who is also an independent director on Paytm’s board, called the development a great milestone not only for Paytm but for the entire tech ecosystem. Paytm's journey to profitability has become a source of inspiration for many other startups. “Inspiring for us. Headed in the same direction!” LEAD’s Sumeet Yashpal Mehta responded to Sharma’s tweet. “The sharp execution that you’ve privately been known for, was publicly visible in every single announcement over last few quarters .. was only a matter of time Excited about following the journey to $100Bn!!" wrote Leverage Edu’s founder Akshay Chaturvedi. <div type="twitter" handle="kapoortej" handlename="kapoortej" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1382138723261829122/6EwS2Nlj_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="Many congratulations @vijayshekhar and team @Paytm ! 🚀 https://t.co/fO44JQUZLc" createdat="1675443834000" id="1621555086622343168"></div> Several venture capitalists including IvyCap Ventures’ Tej Kapoor, Ritesh Banglani of Stellaris Venture Partners and Pankaj Jain of Saka Ventures applauded Paytm’s feat. “Congratulations Vijay and the whole Paytm team! May this quarter be the first step in a long, profitable future,” said Banglani. <div type="twitter" handle="banglani" handlename="Ritesh Banglani" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1595727692581986307/7UC1g2J8_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="0" status="@vijayshekhar @Paytm Congratulations Vijay and the whole Paytm team! May this quarter be the first step in a long, profitable future." createdat="1675449019000" id="1621576835476918273"></div> Several social media users congratulated Sharma on Paytm’s profitability milestone and inspiring youngsters across India. In a letter to shareholders, Paytm’s Sharma said he is confident the company will soon achieve its next milestone of becoming a free cash flow generating company. Disclaimer: This article is generated and published by the Insider Studios team. You can get in touch with them on insiderstudios@businessinsider.in

Indian startup founders celebrate Paytm’s success as company posts first operating profit

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former <keyword id="11896250" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="whatsapp" source="Orion">WhatsApp</keyword> exec Neeraj Arora says he regrets that <keyword id="11892960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook" source="Orion">Facebook</keyword> bought the startup.</li><li>WhatsApp insiders have long bemoaned the sale, which they say saw the startup's mission unravel.</li></ul>WhatsApp's early execs have been vocal for years about their disdain for Facebook and what the company did to their startup.And on Thursday, WhatsApp's former chief business officer weighed in.Neeraj Arora joined the startup in 2011 and said on Twitter that he "helped negotiate the $22 billion sale to Facebook. Today, I regret it."The story is well-known that Facebook approached WhatsApp with an offer that Arora said looked like a partnership. One of those promises was WhatsApp leadership would retain "complete independence on product decisions." Others were that Mark Zuckerberg's company would never integrate ads and cross-platform tracking on the app and that it wouldn't mine user data."FB and their management agreed and we thought they believed in our mission," Arora said.But Facebook, WhatsApp execs have said, had other plans.Facebook considered introducing ads to WhatsApp and letting businesses communicate with the app's users, Co-founder Brian Acton told <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2018/09/26/exclusive-whatsapp-cofounder-brian-acton-gives-the-inside-story-on-deletefacebook-and-why-he-left-850-million-behind/?sh=125be16b3f20">Forbes</a> in 2018 shortly after he left. The app does not have ads today. "Today, WhatsApp is Facebook's second largest platform (even bigger than Instagram or FB Messenger,)" Arora tweeted. "But it's a shadow of the product we poured our hearts into, and wanted to build for the world. And I am not the only one who regrets that it became part of Facebook when it did."Arora, who has cofounded a relatively new ad-free social platform called HalloApp, said <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech" source="Orion">tech</keyword> companies need to take accountability when their products and services go awry."Nobody knew in the beginning that Facebook would become a Frankenstein monster that devoured user data and spat out dirty money," Arora tweeted.Arora left WhatsApp in 2018 shortly after Acton departed the company. Acton famously kicked off a #deletefacebook campaign on Twitter after Facebook's handling of user data amid the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light."It is time," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whatsapp-cofounder-brian-acton-tweet-time-to-delete-facebook-2018-3">Acton said in an early 2018 tweet</a>, adding the hashtag #DeleteFacebook.

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Neeraj Arora, former chief business officer of WhatsApp regrets sale to Facebook

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Two of WhatsApp's earliest employees have launched a private, ad-free social network

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Indian startup founders celebrate Paytm’s success as company posts first operating profit

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Former WhatsApp exec says he regrets the startup's sale to Facebook because it became a 'shadow of the product we poured our hearts into'

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