Facebook收購WhatsApp的乾坤一擲
Facebook Inc. said it will pay $19 billion in cash and stock to acquire smartphone-messaging app WhatsApp Inc., a deal that further emphasizes the social network's mobile push.
Facebook Inc.宣佈將以190億美元現金加股票的方式收購智能手機即時通訊應用程序開發商WhatsApp Inc.，凸顯出這家社交網絡公司正大力推進移動業務。WhatsApp allows users to send text messages free over the Internet, bypassing wireless carriers that may charge users to send messages over their networks. Texting apps are especially costing wireless carriers, which for years relied on the services for the bulk of their revenue.
WhatsApp用戶可以通過互聯網免費發送文本訊息，從而繞過了可能向用戶收費提供訊息發送服務的無線運營商。對無線運營商來說，即時通訊應用使其蒙受了尤其巨大的損失，因爲多年來，這項業務一直是其營收的很大一部分來源。WhatsApp claims 450 million people use its service each month and 70% of those people are active on a given day. It also claims it is adding more than 1 million new registered users a day.
WhatsApp稱，每月有4.5億用戶使用他們的服務，其中70%是日活躍用戶。WhatsApp還稱，每天新增的註冊用戶數量超過100萬。
'WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people,' said Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook的創始人兼首席執行長扎克伯格(Zuckerberg)說，WhatsApp正走在連通10億人的道路上。WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and retain its brand, while co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, bringing the total number of members to nine.
WhatsApp將繼續獨立運營，並保留自己的品牌，WhatsApp的聯合創始人兼首席執行長Jan Koum將加入Facebook董事會，這使得Facebook董事會的成員增加到九人。WhatsApp will remain based in Mountain View, Calif., and Facebook said its own messenger app and WhatsApp's core messaging product will continue to operate as separate applications.
WhatsApp的總部將留在加州山景城(Mountain View)。Facebook說，它自己的即時通訊應用和WhatsApp的核心即時通訊產品將繼續作爲獨立業務分開運營。Facebook said in a regulatory filing that it would acquire all outstanding stock and options in WhatsApp for about 183.9 million of its shares, valued at about $12 billion. The deal also includes $4 billion in cash and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp's founders and employees.
Facebook在一份監管備案文件中說，將用約1.839億股Facebook股票（價值120億美元左右）收購WhatsApp的全部流通股和期權。另外，WhatsApp的創始人和員工還將獲得40億美元現金和另外價值30億美元的限制股。In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in December, Mr. Koum attributed the company's steady growth to his company's 'focus on messaging.' Unlike competing messaging apps that make money with advertising or games, 'we want to get out of the way. We want to let people have a conversation.'
去年12月在接受《華爾街日報》採訪時，Koum將該公司的穩定增長歸功於對即時通訊的專注。他說，我們與競爭對手不同，他們的即時通訊應用通過廣告或遊戲賺錢，我們不想走這條路，我們希望人們彼此交談。At the time, he also said the company had no plans to sell or launch an initial public offering or seek new funding.
當時他還說，公司沒有出售計劃，也沒有進行首次公開募股或者尋求新融資的計劃。The deal marks the latest signal that Facebook is willing to pay huge sums to acquire rival apps that gain sway with consumers. The company in 2012 agreed to pay $1 billion in cash and stock to buy Instagram, a popular app used to help people share photos.
這項交易是Facebook釋出的最新一個信號，表明該公司願意花巨資收購競爭對手在消費者當中獲得了巨大影響力的應用。2012年，該公司以10億美元的現金和股票收購了Instagram，一款能夠幫助人們分享照片的熱門應用。Facebook also reportedly offered to pay close to $3 billion or more to acquire messaging service Snapchat, though that offer was spurned.
據報道，Facebook曾提出以近30億美元或更高的價格收購通訊服務供應商Snapchat，不過要約遭到了拒絕。Facebook was slow to embrace a global shift away from desktop computing to mobile phones, opening it up to scrutiny from investors since its IPO in 2012. But its latest quarterly results illustrated the company is managing that transition as mobile advertising now makes up more than half of its total advertising revenue.
在消費者從臺式機轉向手機的全球浪潮中，Facebook過去未能與時俱進，該公司2012年進行首次公開募股之後，這引起了投資者的審視。但Facebook最新的季度業績表明，該公司正在努力實現這一轉變，移動廣告在總廣告收入中的佔比已經超過一半。In the event the merger is terminated if regulatory approval isn't achieved, Facebook would pay WhatsApp a $1 billion cash breakup fee and issue $1 billion in Facebook shares.
如果這項併購因未獲監管機構批准而終止，Facebook將向WhatsApp支付10億美元現金加價值10億美元的Facebook股票作爲“分手費”。Facebook was advised by Allen & Co. LLC and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, while WhatsApp was advised by Morgan Stanley and Fenwick & West LLP.
本次交易中，Allen & Co. LLC和Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP擔任Facebook的顧問，摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)和Fenwick & West LLP擔任WhatsApp的顧問。Facebook intends to host a conference call later Wednesday to discuss the merger. The news sent Facebook shares down about 3% in after-hours trading.
Facebook計劃在週三晚些時候召開一次電話會議討論併購事宜。這一消息讓Facebook的股價在盤後交易時段下跌了近3%。
