Kunal Shah of India to Take the Helm as WhatsApp’s New CEO

WhatsApp is set to have an Indian as its new boss. Will Cathcart, the current head of WhatsApp, has announced his decision to step down. Now, the founder of an Indian startup is poised to lead WhatsApp on a global scale. Cathcart led Meta’s messaging platform for nearly seven years, growing the chat app’s user base to approximately 3 billion. While Cathcart will continue to serve on Meta’s leadership team, Kunal Shah—founder of the Indian fintech startup Cred—will take over as the head of WhatsApp. Let’s look at the details.

Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Shah built one of India’s most significant technology companies through Cred. He added that the fintech founder possesses the mindset and global perspective essential for running the world’s largest messaging app. Zuckerberg expressed excitement about working with Kunal to make WhatsApp an exceptional service for billions of people and millions of businesses.

On Monday, Kunal Shah wrote on LinkedIn that despite assuming the new role at WhatsApp, he would remain a shareholder in Cred. He also revealed that Meta has invested $900 million in Cred. Shah explained that while Meta would join Cred as a minority investor, it would not have access to member data. Cred is ready for its next phase; Shah is stepping down from his position, and Miten Sampat is taking over as interim CEO.

Shah further remarked that WhatsApp has come a long way. “I am excited to work with Mark, Chris, and the Meta leadership team on the next phase of WhatsApp’s journey. Will, thank you for building something the world relies on so heavily and for making this transition seamless.”