CRED founder Kunal Shah to join as WhatsApp’s next global CEO

New Delhi: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday that CRED founder Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next global CEO. Meta is also investing around $900 million (nearly Rs 8,550 crore) in the fintech company CRED.

As part of the investment, Cred’s founder, Kunal Shah, will take over as global CEO of WhatsApp.

“Team CRED, I’ll still expect you to be a 10x version of yourselves. As for me, I’ll be joining Meta to lead WhatsApp globally. Meta comes in as a minority investor in CRED. No access to member data,” said Shah.

“I look forward to working with Mark, Chris, and the leadership across Meta for the next step in WhatsApp’s journey. Will, thank you for scaling something the world relies on quietly, and for making this transition smooth,” he said in a statement.

CRED will now be led by Miten Sampat as the interim CEO, Shah shared in a post on X.

“Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app,” said Zuckerberg.

“I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses,” he added.

Shah takes over from WhatApp’s current head, Will Cathcart, who will be stepping down after seven years in the role.

“Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community. Will is transitioning to a new role within Meta where he’ll build new products from the ground-up,” Zuckerberg added.

Shah said in a post on X, “I started Cred in 2018 with a belief that creditworthiness deserves to be rewarded. In under eight years, that belief has turned into a new category: millions of members, Rs 3,200 crore ($325 million) in revenue, profitability, a full stack of licences and a strong brand. On this foundation, with additional capital and an extraordinarily talented team, CRED is poised to become an enduring institution for decades to come. I’m stepping back with gratitude and with conviction that the team will keep raising the bar.”

IANS