Zuckerberg's New Secret Weapon for Deal-Making: WhatsApp

A visitor tests a Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset, developed jointly by Oculus VR Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., in Berlin on Sept. 5, 2014. Photographer: Krizstian Bocsi/Bloomberg

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By Sarah Frier

October 6, 2014 at 9:39 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

As anyone who's worked with Mark Zuckerberg can attest, Facebook is always his preferred communication app. But when Zuck began exploring a deal to buy Oculus VR earlier this year, he went with an alternative.

Brendan Iribe, the CEO of the virtual-reality headset maker, didn't have the Facebook or Messenger apps installed on his phone. So Iribe suggested they use WhatsApp instead. Their conversations began just after Facebook announced its $19 billion acquisition of the company, and Iribe figured Zuckerberg might as well try to get his money's worth.