WhatsApp head Will Cathcart is stepping down after seven years

Jun 22, 2026 09:14 PM - 1 day ago 1363

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, user tech, crypto, societal media, and overmuch more. Previously, she was a writer and editor astatine MUO.

Will Cathcart, who led WhatsApp for the past 7 years, is stepping down from his role arsenic Meta appoints a caller leader. On Monday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced connected Facebook that Kunal Shah, the laminitis of an Indian fintech startup called Cred, is taking complete arsenic the caput of WhatsApp.

Cred is an app that allows group to negociate their bills and person rewards for making payments done the platform. As portion of Shah’s appointment, Meta is investing $900 cardinal into Cred, giving it a 20 percent liking successful the startup, Bloomberg reports.

Cathcart became the caput of WhatsApp successful 2019, and while astatine the helm, he oversaw immoderate large changes, for illustration the introduction of encrypted chat backups successful 2021. More recently, Cathcart led WhatsApp arsenic the messaging app expanded to the iPad, introduced ads, and added backstage chats pinch Meta’s AI chatbot. Cathcart isn’t leaving Meta wholly and will return connected a caller domiciled astatine the company, according to Zuckerberg.

Meanwhile, Shah will measurement down from his domiciled arsenic the CEO of Cred to lead WhatsApp. “Kunal built CRED into 1 of India’s astir important exertion companies, and he brings the benignant of builder mentality and world position that will service him good successful moving the world’s biggest messaging app,” Zuckerberg writes.

Follow topics and authors from this communicative to spot much for illustration this successful your personalized homepage provender and to person email updates.

More