How one conversation led Kunal Shah to become WhatsApp's head

How one conversation led Kunal Shah to become WhatsApp's head

Meta Platforms Inc. has appointed Kunal Shah, the founder of fintech start-up CRED and one of India's most prominent angel investors, as the new global head of WhatsApp.

The decision was made after Chris Cox, Meta's Chief Product Officer, reached out to Shah for advice on selecting a leader for the messaging service.

Cox had been consulting entrepreneurs and investors in countries where WhatsApp is widely used and accepted.

Shah's insights on WhatsApp impressed Cox

Shah's insights on the future of WhatsApp left a lasting impression on Cox.

"He had an incredible set of answers," Cox told Bloomberg.

At the end of their conversation, he suggested they discuss the possibility of Shah taking up the role himself.

Soon, a three-month-long hiring process started, involving multiple trips for Shah to Meta's headquarters in California, including dinner at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's house.

Shah to focus on expanding WhatsApp's business

Despite having over three billion monthly users, WhatsApp's business remains relatively underdeveloped given its userbase.

The app generates billions annually from paid messaging and ads that direct users to chats with businesses.

However, it is yet to fully capitalize on other revenue-generating products like subscriptions and AI agents and payments.

"While it's come very far," Shah said on X (formerly Twitter), "the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive."

Shah has invested in over 250 start-ups

Shah, a former Sequoia Capital India advisor, has invested in over 250 start-ups including Indonesian super-app Gojek and Indian payments company Razorpay.

He also founded several companies, the latest being CRED which rewards its 17 million monthly users for timely credit card bill payments.

As part of his recruitment to run WhatsApp, Meta invested $900 million into CRED for a nearly 20% stake.