![Mickey Alam Khan Mickey Alam Khan is editor in chief of Luxury Daily](https://cache.luxurydaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mickey-Alam-Khan.jpg)
Facebook’s plan to acquire mobile messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion has earned the ire of frustrated media, competitors and industry pundits, and the envy of those VC-backed, revenue-less digital wonders waiting in the wings to be swooped into Google’s or another Silicon Valley giant’s arms.