Meta just handed the keys to its most widely used product to someone who has never worked at Meta. Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech startup CRED, is the new global head of WhatsApp, the messaging platform used by over 3 billion people worldwide.
The appointment signals something bigger than a routine executive shuffle. Meta invested $900 million in CRED, and now it’s importing the company’s founder to run the product that sits at the center of its commerce ambitions.
What Shah brings to the table
Shah founded CRED in 2018 as a platform that rewards users for paying their credit card bills on time. The app also handles bill management and has become a notable player in India’s crowded fintech ecosystem.
Will Cathcart, who led WhatsApp for nearly seven years, is stepping into a new product-development role within Meta. The company has framed his transition as a move toward building innovative products, potentially including AI-related initiatives.
