Facebook executives were upbeat on Wednesday, after the world’s largest social network faced down uproar over user privacy to post record profits and beat analyst expectations across the board.
But another theme also emerged from the group’s fourth-quarter earnings call: the blurring of the lines between Facebook and Instagram and WhatsApp, the apps it bought in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
While the photo-sharing and messaging apps were initially promised relative independence from the parent company, Facebook is now seeking to knit the trio closer together, sharing more technology and resources in a move that throws up clear opportunities — but also fresh concerns.