> To be fair acquisition assurances are always temporary at best. They are buying the company for a reason, not to leave it alone forever. I've been a part of two acquisitions over the past decade and most of the devs I know have been in at least one. The assurances are never more than temporary.

> This seems less Facebook specific and more "that's simply what happens with all acquisitions".

I don't know what was going through their heads but as an outsider with no insider knowledge, I justified this as Facebook making sure nobody else gets hold of Whatsapp's user base. It made sense in my head back then.

>The assurances are never more than temporary.

Yep. 2 years. That's usually the amount time that an acquirer will leave you be.