WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart Steps Down, Kunal Shah to Take Over Amid Meta's $900 Million Cred Investment
WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart is stepping down, and Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech platform Cred, will succeed him, according to an announcement by Meta on Monday. The transition is expected to take effect this week, with Cathcart moving to a new role focused on building consumer applications powered by artificial intelligence.
Meta, which also owns Instagram and Facebook, said it will invest approximately $900 million (around Rs 8,550 crore) in Cred as part of the leadership change. The investment will give Meta an estimated 20% stake in the app that rewards users for timely credit card bill payments.
The move has drawn attention because an Indian fintech entrepreneur will now lead WhatsApp, which counts India as its largest market with more than 500 million users. Since Meta (then Facebook) acquired WhatsApp in 2014, the platform has become strategically important for the social media giant, expanding its global reach, particularly in high-growth markets.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post: “Will Cathcart has announced that he is stepping down as the head of WhatsApp after seven years leading the app. He has been one of Meta’s most effective leaders, helping bring WhatsApp to over three billion people and championing privacy for our community. I am very grateful for his partnership and contributions over these years.”
Cathcart wrote in his own statement: “WhatsApp is in the strongest position it has ever been, and that felt like the right moment to step back. I am very proud of what we have built. We scaled end-to-end encrypted messaging to more than three billion people and brought it to group chats, companion devices, and new surfaces, while defending people’s right to private conversations across the globe.”
Cathcart graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Mathematical Economics. He worked at Google on anti-spam tools before joining Meta (then Facebook) in 2010. He was among the first 50 product managers at the company and led development for Facebook News Feed and introduced advertising into the feed and on mobile. In 2018, he became a vice president overseeing products including Video, Groups, Marketplace, News Feed, and Stories. A year later, he was elevated to head of WhatsApp after Chris Daniels left.
Under Cathcart, WhatsApp grew from over 100 million users in the United States to more than three billion worldwide. The platform added features such as Communities for organising group discussions, Channels for one-way broadcasts, and integrated Meta AI features. Cathcart was a strong advocate for end-to-end encryption, opposing government efforts to create encryption backdoors and leading WhatsApp's legal actions against spyware companies.
The appointment of Kunal Shah marks a new chapter for WhatsApp, as Meta looks to deepen its engagement in India and explore new revenue streams. Shah, known for building Cred into a major fintech platform, will now oversee the world's largest messaging app by user base.
