CRED founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp as Will Cathcart steps down
Meta has named CRED founder Kunal Shah as the new head of WhatsApp, succeeding Will Cathcart, who led the messaging platform for nearly seven years and helped grow it to more than 3 billion users. The leadership change comes as Meta also leads a $900 million funding round in CRED, valuing the fintech company at about $4.5 billion.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday announced that Will Cathcart is stepping down as head of WhatsApp after nearly seven years leading the messaging platform, with CRED founder Kunal Shah set to take over the role.
Cathcart, who oversaw WhatsApp's growth to more than 3 billion users, will transition to a new role within Meta focused on building products from the ground up.
Announcing Shah's appointment, Zuckerberg said the CRED founder brought a strong product-building mindset and global perspective to the role. "I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses," he said.
In a separate statement, Cathcart said WhatsApp was in its strongest position yet after nearly seven years under his leadership, making it the right moment to step aside.
"We scaled end-to-end encrypted messaging to more than three billion people," he said, adding that the company had expanded private messaging across group chats, companion devices and new services while defending users' right to secure communications.
Cathcart also endorsed Shah as his successor, saying the entrepreneur had a deep understanding of the people who rely on Meta's apps.
CRED separately announced that Shah has stepped down as chief executive officer to join Meta and lead WhatsApp globally. Shah said the company was ready for its next phase of growth and that Miten would take over as interim CEO.
The transition coincides with Meta leading a $900 million Series H funding round in CRED, acquiring a minority stake in the fintech company. The round values CRED at approximately $4.5 billion on a post-money basis.
Cathcart, who oversaw WhatsApp's growth to more than 3 billion users, will transition to a new role within Meta focused on building products from the ground up.
"Will has been one of Meta's most important and effective leaders," Zuckerberg said, crediting him with helping scale WhatsApp globally while championing privacy across the platform.
Announcing Shah's appointment, Zuckerberg said the CRED founder brought a strong product-building mindset and global perspective to the role. "I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses," he said.
In a separate statement, Cathcart said WhatsApp was in its strongest position yet after nearly seven years under his leadership, making it the right moment to step aside.
"We scaled end-to-end encrypted messaging to more than three billion people," he said, adding that the company had expanded private messaging across group chats, companion devices and new services while defending users' right to secure communications.
Cathcart also endorsed Shah as his successor, saying the entrepreneur had a deep understanding of the people who rely on Meta's apps.
CRED separately announced that Shah has stepped down as chief executive officer to join Meta and lead WhatsApp globally. Shah said the company was ready for its next phase of growth and that Miten would take over as interim CEO.
The transition coincides with Meta leading a $900 million Series H funding round in CRED, acquiring a minority stake in the fintech company. The round values CRED at approximately $4.5 billion on a post-money basis.
(Edited by : Prashant)
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