The $19 Billion WhatsApp Deal Was Big, But Not the Year's Biggest (Infographic) So far in 2014, there have been three M&A deals larger than Facebook's $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp.

By Catherine Clifford Apr 29, 2014

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Remember when Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion and that seemed crazy? Entrepreneurs in the tech community were dreaming about being the next Instagram, and from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, everyone was weighing in on whether Facebook paid too much or not enough. That was 2012.

Then, Facebook bought messaging mobile application WhatsApp for $19 billion. That was in February of this year. And suddenly everybody -- entrepreneurs, investors, bakers, grocery store clerks, yoga teachers, train conductors -- was weighing in on whether Facebook had made a good decision or a bad decision. What was Mark Zuckerberg thinking?

Turns out that while that $19 billion made our jaws drop, there were three larger acquisitions already in 2014. Comcast bought Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, Charter bought Time Warner Cable for $37 billion and Actavis bought Forest Laboratories for $25 billion, according to this infographic generated by personal finance website FinancesOnline.com.

In most tech acquisitions, the goal is either talent or intellectual property. Take a looksee at the infographic below to see recent trends in mergers along with some of the biggest acquisitions from tech giants Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook.

Click to Enlarge+

The $19 Billion WhatsApp Deal Was Big, But Not the Year's Biggest (Infographic)

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

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