We can’t live without them, which is why some companies fork out billions of dollars for them.
We’re talking about apps of course, and here are some of the world’s most expensive. Recently, the internet was abuzz following the news of Elon Musk wanting to acquire Twitter for USD44 billion. The unexpected bid was made by the entrepreneur who is known for his large scale business ventures and connections to Tesla.
Since making the purchase, Musk has discussed potential changes to the platform that include adding an ‘edit’ tweet feature and cracking down on fake accounts. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter makes it one of the world’s most expensive apps ever purchased. However, it won’t be the last.
According to finance experts at Merchant Cash Advance, this marks the latest in a long line of purchases have researched the most expensive apps sold. Here are some examples.
Back in 2016, Microsoft made the decision to purchase LinkedIn for a whopping USD26.2 billion. The deal saw LinkedIn’s shares soar and the social media network has since become a much more advanced business platform. Initially, Microsoft aimed to grow the networking site by integrating it with Microsoft’s own software and the decision paid off, leading to a significant user base growth over the years.
Being one of the most well-known app purchases, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for USD19 billion back in 2014. At the time, the app did not make much money and the price tag was seen as very extreme but can be put down to Mark Zuckerberg doing what he needed to do to iron out a rising competitor before it had the chance to overtake the success of Facebook. Facebook also splashed USD1 billion for popular photo-sharing app, Instagram in 2012. A shocking sum, considering Instagram only had 13 employees at the time.
YouTube
Dating back to 2006 when Google famously bought YouTube for USD1.65 billion, the video site had only been around for a couple of years but had begun growing at a huge rate. Nowadays, there are tens of billions of videos on the platform and is now expected to be worth around USD20 billion as it continues to thrive and their music subscription service has exceeded 50 million members.
Wordle
Over recent months, the simple yet addictive online game has boomed and sees millions of people check in daily to guess the five-letter word. In January, The New York Times purchased Wordle for USD1 million and kept the same no-frills design with no changes to the gameplay. The acquisition is thought to contribute to their aim of reaching 10 million digital subscribers by 2025, getting their name out there for everyone to see.
The World’s Most Expensive Apps:
Twitter: USD44 billion by Elon Musk (2022)
LinkedIn: USD26.2 billion by Microsoft (2016)
WhatsApp: USD19 billion by Facebook (2014)
Skype: USD8.5 billion by Microsoft (2011)
YouTube: USD1.65 billion by Google (2006)
Tumblr: USD1.1 billion by Yahoo! (2013)
Instagram: USD1 billion by Facebook (2012)
Wordle: USD1 million by The New York Times (2022)
(Main image credit: Rami Al-zayat/Unsplash; Featured image: Souvik Banerjee/Unsplash)
Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
