Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Facebook recruits PayPal president David Marcus to lead mobile messaging efforts

By
facebook recruits paypal president david marcus to lead mobile messaging efforts messenger
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After two years as president of PayPal, David Marcus is moving to Facebook to take up the role of vice president of messaging products.

In a post on LinkedIn published Monday, Marcus said he was “excited” about the move, adding that he was “looking forward to getting my hands dirty again attempting to build something new and meaningful at scale.”

Recommended Videos

He said that at first he’d had doubts about “another big company gig,” but had been impressed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “compelling vision about mobile messaging.”

Above: David Marcus [Image via Facebook]
Above: David Marcus [Image via Facebook] Image used with permission by copyright holder

He added, “Mark’s enthusiasm, and the unparalleled reach and consumer engagement of the Facebook platform ultimately won me over.”

The social networking giant said on its site that starting from July Marcus will lead efforts to develop “great new messaging experiences that better serve the Facebook community and reach even more people.” Given Marcus’s background, it’s also possible he could help introduce e-commerce features into Facebook’s mobile apps.

The company is keen to expand its mobile presence in a bid to boost revenue, with messaging apps a key part of its strategy. Its Q4 2013 financial results revealed that for the first time in its history, mobile ad revenue exceeded that of desktop, with 53 percent of the company’s income generated via its mobile apps in the three-month period.

Buoyed by the rising mobile revenue and keen to push out more mobile apps with more ads, the company in April announced it would be removing the ability to send messages from within its main application, forcing users to download its standalone Messenger app, which is currently used by more than 200 million people every month.

In a further indication of Facebook’s increasing focus on messaging, the company recently spent a whopping $19 billion on the acquisition of popular mobile messaging service WhatsApp, and is in the middle of trying to sort out the launch of its Snapchat-like app, Slingshot.

Marcus is likely to focus primarily on developing Messenger and new mobile messaging services, with the WhatsApp acquisition having been conditional on it being able to retain its independence and brand.

John Donahoe, CEO of eBay – PayPal’s parent company – will oversee the running of the online payment outfit until a successor is found.

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
I love this over-the-top charger that’s a Cyber Week bargain
The front of the Anker Prime 250W Charging Station.

Everything about the Anker Prime 250W Charging Station is overkill, and that makes it the ideal Cyber Week 2024 deal. It gets you an over-the-top charging station for a wide variety of gadgets at a far more sensible price than usual.

I’ve been using the chunky charging dock for a few months, and it has probably all the charging ability most people will ever need.
A much more reasonable price

Read more
Anker makes my favorite iPhone 16 power bank, and it’s on sale for Cyber Week
Anker Nano 3-in-1 10,000mAh portable power bank for iPhone.

One of the essentials in any bag these days is a battery pack for your smartphone, whether that’s an iPhone or an Android phone. But have you ever forgotten to charge your battery pack because it needs a cable? Thankfully, Anker has a fantastic external battery pack that you can plug directly into a wall outlet, and it has its own integrated cable for charging other devices.

For Cyber Week, Amazon has the Anker Nano 3-in-1 Portable 10,000mAh Power Bank for just $36, 20% off the normal $45 price. I have one of these, and it’s an everyday essential in my bags for charging my iPhone 16 Pro.

Read more
I love this easily repairable phone at a decent Cyber Week price
The back of the HMD Skyline.

It’s rare to find a smartphone that has a unique feature these days, and especially one that’s available at a bargain price. The HMD Skyline happens to tick both those boxes with its genuinely simple repairability and sizable discount on its normal price in Amazon’s Cyber Week deal.

Normally $500, the HMD Skyline is $475 through Amazon right now, and not only is it an unlocked phone ready for use with the AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, and Tracfone networks but the price also applies to the three different color variations. This is important because although you could choose the basic black version, you should go for the far more eye-catching Blue Topaz or Neon Pink model.

Read more