27.06.2026 15:10
Will Cathcart, who has served as CEO of WhatsApp for approximately seven years, announced his departure from the position. Meta has announced that Kunal Shah, an Indian entrepreneur and founder of Cred, will take over. Along with this leadership change, it is evaluated that Meta has invested $900 million in Shah's company Cred, and strategies targeting India, WhatsApp's largest market, will become even more important.
A significant management change is taking place at WhatsApp, one of the world's most popular messaging applications. Will Cathcart, who has served as the platform's CEO for many years, announced his decision to step down from his role.
According to BBC, Cathcart stated in his announcement that WhatsApp is experiencing one of the strongest periods in its history and that it is the right time to make the decision to leave. Meta reported that Cathcart will continue to serve in a different management position within the company.
KUNAL SHAH BECAME THE NEW CEO
Meta announced that Kunal Shah, the founder of India-based fintech company Cred, has been appointed as the new CEO of WhatsApp. Shah, a well-known figure in the technology world, is expected to play a significant role in WhatsApp's future growth strategies.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in his statement regarding the leadership change that Kunal Shah founded one of India's leading technology ventures and believes he will make important contributions to WhatsApp with his global perspective. Zuckerberg also emphasized that they will continue to improve the platform for billions of users and millions of businesses.
$900 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM META
It was also announced that during the period when the management change was announced, Meta made a $900 million investment in Cred, founded by Kunal Shah, and purchased a 20% stake in the company. Shah stated that he would retain his shareholding in Cred, while Meta would be a minority investor in the company. He also said that user data will not be shared and that Meta will have no access rights to Cred members' data.
INDIA DETAIL DRAWS ATTENTION
The management change is also significant for India, WhatsApp's largest market. With approximately 853 million users, India is the country with the platform's largest user base. It is known that Meta has recently been working to increase WhatsApp's revenues through advertising, paid subscriptions, and AI-powered services.