iWorld
WhatsApp launches new race car emoji with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team
Mumbai: WhatsApp is lighting up the Empire State Building green and launching a new race car emoji to celebrate its rapid growth in the United States, announcing double-digit growth in both daily users and messages sent on WhatsApp in the U.S.
Today, WhatsApp released the new custom race car emoji that over two billion users will be able to use immediately in their chats, just in time for the Miami Grand Prix this coming weekend. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, and CEO and team principal Toto Wolff, together flipped the Empire State Building’s famous light switch and turned the building’s iconic tower lights a bright WhatsApp green. The lighting was followed by a dynamic light show takeover of the building’s façade, which featured an animated projection of the new emoji racing through New York City.
The celebration continues tomorrow, when WhatsApp and Mercedes-AMG F1 will bring the emoji to life as it shuts down Fifth Avenue for the first-ever demonstration of a Formula One car in Manhattan. Hamilton will be at the wheel of the speed demo, taking place alongside a life-sized replica of the emoji race car.
Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp said: “Year after year WhatsApp is gaining solid ground in the U.S. because people want a private and secure way to communicate across platforms. WhatsApp is not only the best way to chat about a race with friends around the world, but also within the U.S. too, and we’re excited to celebrate this growth together with Mercedes and the Empire State Building.
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said: “In recent years, our sport and WhatsApp have both been on an impressive growth journey in the United States. The partnership between ourselves as a team and WhatsApp, our official messaging partner, is therefore a natural fit. We rely daily on WhatsApp for the privacy and security it affords in our communications, which is vital in F1.
“We are also both passionate about connecting people through shared experiences, committed to telling incredible stories, and setting the benchmark in our respective fields. As we prepare for the first stateside Grand Prix this year, it is fantastic to celebrate our collaboration with several iconic moments and activations in New York City that are certain to get people talking.”
Lewis Hamilton said: “I’ve always felt a special connection with the United States. I remember going to
New York as a kid and dreaming about living in the city and I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time here since then. I’ve had many incredible experiences and connected with many amazing people in New York, but to drive an F1 car down Fifth Avenue and light up the Empire State Building is incredibly special. It’s something I never thought would be possible and it’s been even better to do it in partnership with WhatsApp, an app that keeps my connection to the US alive by making it easy to stay in touch with so many people stateside.”
WhatsApp has become the leading choice for private cross-platform communication in the U.S.. No matter what phone you or your friends have, you can always share HD photos and videos, react in realtime in group chats that aren’t broken by blue-bubble/green-bubble, make voice and video calls to each other, all with the privacy and security of end-to-end-encryption. And now, you even access Meta’s most advanced AI from right within WhatsApp. Coinciding with the massive and growing popularity of Formula 1 in the United States, WhatsApp late last year announced a partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. As the official messaging partner for the team, WhatsApp is committed to bringing fans even closer to the sport.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
