Rumors surfaced over the weekend that Google (GOOG) was in the midst of acquisition talks with messaging giant WhatsApp. Such a move would have been a big boost for Google and it reportedly would have given WhatsApp a billion-dollar payday. Unfortunately, the source was unproven and it looks like the rumor was completely false. AllThingsD spoke with WhatsApp’s business development boss and he flat-out denied that any talks had taken place. “Neeraj Arora, WhatsApp’s business development head, told AllThingsDigital today that the company is not holding sales talks with Google,” AllThingsD’s Liz Gannes wrote. The acquisition would certainly have been a big one for Google — WhatsApp recently announced a new milestone, stating that it processed more than 11 billion outbound messages this past New Year’s Eve.

Zach Epstein has worked in and around ICT for more than 15 years, first in marketing and business development with two private telcos, then as a writer and editor covering business news, consumer electronics and telecommunications. Zach’s work has been quoted by countless top news publications in the US and around the world. He was also recently named one of the world's top-10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes, as well as one of Inc. Magazine's top-30 Internet of Things experts.