In one acquisition, Facebook beat out Google to become Silicon Valley’s top dealmaker

Earlier this morning, we wrote about Google’s impressive dealmaking prowess. Over the past three years, the search giant was involved in 126 deals worth $17.6 billion according to Bloomberg.

Well, that changed quickly. The pricetag on Facebook’s surprise WhatsApp acquisition alone stands at a staggering $19 billion, including $3 billion in restricted stock.

It’s reasonable to assume Facebook is buying WhatsApp for the same reasons it bought Instagram. Which is mainly to prevent a potential competitor from emerging. In a way, is not that different from what Google is trying to achieve with its early- and late-stage venture investments.