Kunal Shah to Lead WhatsApp After Will Cathcart Steps Down
5 verified4 unconfirmed
Meta has appointed Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech startup CRED, as the new head of WhatsApp, replacing Will Cathcart, who is stepping down after leading the messaging app for about seven years. Alongside the leadership change, Meta is investing $900 million in CRED. Cathcart will remain at Meta and take on a new product-building role. Shah will leave his position as CEO of CRED to lead WhatsApp. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the moves on Monday.
What’s verified
Will Cathcart is stepping down as head of WhatsApp after approximately seven years.
Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech company CRED, will become WhatsApp’s new leader.
Meta is investing $900 million in CRED as part of the transition.
Cathcart will stay at Meta in a new product-building role.
Shah is stepping down as CEO of CRED to lead WhatsApp.
Not yet confirmed
WhatsApp’s user counts (more than 500 million in India, over 3 billion globally, over 100 million in the United States) were only reported in a single source.
CRED’s post-money valuation of about $4.5 billion and its previous valuation history were only reported in a single source.
Miten Sampat’s appointment as interim CEO of CRED was only reported in a single source.
Details about Cathcart’s tenure, including the launch of encrypted chat backups, iPad expansion, ads, and AI chatbot features, were only reported in a single source.
Key figures
Will Cathcart – outgoing WhatsApp head
Kunal Shah – incoming WhatsApp head, founder of CRED
Mark Zuckerberg – Meta CEO
Sources: TechCrunch, The Verge
