WhatsApp has surpassed a historic milestone, now boasting more than 3 billion monthly active users worldwide, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced during the company’s recent first-quarter earnings call.
Founded in 2009 and acquired by Facebook (now Meta) in 2014 for $19 billion, WhatsApp continues to operate free from advertising, offering users an ad-free messaging experience. The popular messaging service previously crossed the 2 billion user mark in 2020, but with this new surge, it joins a select group of apps to achieve a global user base of billions, alongside platforms like Facebook itself.
With its massive reach, WhatsApp has become an indispensable pillar in Meta’s broader business strategy, particularly as the company increasingly focuses on artificial intelligence initiatives. Meta previously indicated that WhatsApp serves as one of the most effective distribution channels for its expanding AI-driven services.
During the earnings call, Meta CFO Susan Li elaborated on WhatsApp’s key role, noting the app sees the highest engagement levels with Meta’s AI technology across all of the company’s platforms. Most actively, users access Meta’s AI products through direct one-on-one chats within WhatsApp itself, reinforcing the application’s integral position in Meta’s AI vision.
However, while WhatsApp’s global dominance is significant, Zuckerberg pointed out the unique challenges the company faces within the U.S. market. Unlike international users who overwhelmingly favor WhatsApp for messaging, most U.S. consumers still gravitate toward their smartphones’ built-in messaging apps. In response, Meta recently launched the standalone Meta AI app, intended specifically to foster U.S. adoption and position the company as a leading provider of personal AI experiences in that region.
“We hope to become the leader over time in the U.S. messaging market, but we’re in a different position there than we are in most other regions of the world with WhatsApp,” Zuckerberg explained. “The Meta AI standalone app is particularly important in establishing leadership in the United States, but we will continue advancing experiences across every platform.”
Additionally, Meta highlighted promising growth in business adoption, noting a considerable contribution from WhatsApp Business. The company’s suite of apps generated $510 million in revenue, with WhatsApp Business accounting for a substantial portion. Meta is actively testing new capability expansions, including an AI-driven chatbot interface that businesses can tailor using information from their own websites, WhatsApp profiles, Facebook, or Instagram pages. These upcoming enhancements underline WhatsApp’s continued evolution from simple messaging tool into a comprehensive business and communication solution empowered by artificial intelligence.
