Facebook is placing a $19
billion bet on reaching its next billion mobile users with the acquisition of
WhatsApp, a popular messaging service that lets people send texts, photos and
videos on their smartphones.
The $19 billion deal is
by far Facebook's largest and bigger than any that Google, Microsoft or Apple
have ever done. But it is likely to raise worries that Facebook and other
technology companies are starting to become overzealous in their pursuit of
promising new products and services, said Anthony Michael Sabino, a St. John's
University business professor.
