Facebook buys WhatsApp (2014)
Facebook agreed to pay about $19 billion for WhatsApp, a messaging app with roughly 55 employees. The price stunned observers because the team was so small relative to the value.
The deal set a record for a venture-backed startup and pushed messaging into the center of Facebook's strategy.
It became the reference point for tiny teams commanding enormous valuations.
Lovable reached a $13.3 billion valuation with about 150 people. WhatsApp is the classic case of value far outrunning headcount.
