Andreessen Horowitz Merges Fintech and Consumer Teams After Some Bets FizzleRead more

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg

Facebook to Add Its Name to Instagram, WhatsApp

By  |  Aug. 2, 2019 2:46 PM PDT
Photo: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo by Bloomberg

In a big shift, Facebook plans to signal its control of Instagram and WhatsApp by adding its name to both apps, according to three people familiar with the matter. The social network will rebrand the apps to “Instagram from Facebook” and “WhatsApp from Facebook,” the people said.

Employees for the apps were recently notified about the changes, which come as antitrust regulators are examining Facebook’s acquisitions of both apps. The app rebranding is a major departure for Facebook, which until recently had allowed the apps to operate and be branded independently. The distance has helped both apps avoid being tarnished by the privacy scandals that have hurt Facebook. The move to add Facebook’s name to the apps has been met with surprise and confusion internally, reflecting the autonomy that the units have operated under.

Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
CareRev co-founder Will Patterson stepped down as CEO last week. Art by Clark Miller
Exclusive startups venture capital
A Long, Strange Trip for the ‘Uber for Nurses’
Will Patterson was on a hot streak. As the co-founder and CEO of CareRev—a gig-work platform sometimes described as an “Uber for nurses”—he saw his company’s business surge during the pandemic as hospitals and clinics scrambled to find healthcare workers.
Art by Clark Miller.
The Big Read space venture capital
The Overlapping Galaxies of Delian Asparouhov
Delian Asparouhov, newly minted Founders Fund partner and co-founder of Varda Space Industries, is obsessed with speed.
Photo via Shutterstock.
Exclusive startups Finance
Inside the Culture Clash at JPMorgan and WePay
When JPMorgan Chase struck a $400 million deal to buy WePay in late 2017, it pledged that the Bay Area fintech would become “Chase’s payments innovation incubator in Silicon Valley,” helping the country’s biggest bank compete with surging startups Stripe and Square and payments companies like PayPal.
Marc Andreessen. Photo: Bloomberg.
Exclusive startups venture capital
Andreessen Horowitz Merges Fintech and Consumer Teams After Some Bets Fizzle
Andreessen Horowitz has combined its finance and consumer investment teams into one, merging what were two of the hottest pandemic-era investment categories that have since cooled.
Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities. Photo by Bloomberg.
Exclusive ai venture capital
Wall Street Firm Citadel Securities Courts AI Startups for Trading Edge
Citadel Securities, a prominent high-frequency trading firm, has told startup founders and investors it is looking to license software from artificial intelligence startups working on large-language models or to buy stakes in them, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.
The Port of Los Angeles, where Next Trucking has a significant presence. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.
Exclusive startups Finance
Logistics Startup Next Trucking Tries to Sell Itself
Sequoia Capital–backed logistics startup Next Trucking, facing a slowdown in the trucking sector, is trying to sell itself, according to people familiar with the matter and a pitch deck reviewed by The Information.