IHS Technology

Before investors complain about the purchase price, they might want to take a closer look at WhatsApp's statistics. Facebook's MAUs (monthly active users): 1.23 billion as of Dec. 31, 2013. WhatsApp's MAUs: more than 450 million as of this past Wednesday. Twitter's MAUs: 241 million as...

Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) spent a colossal amount of money to acquire WhatsApp, a mobile messaging app. The deal -- which includes $4 billion in cash and $12 billion in Facebook stock -- greatly exceeds the $1 billion price tag associated with Instagram. It also exceeds the $3 billion offer to...