[TeMPOraL]

Nah, it's even simpler than that: after shoving enough surveys in users' faces (as they seem to semi-regularly do across all Meta products; I've had at least 2 in WhatsApp alone over the past few months), they've collected enough misclicks and drunk responses to be able to interpret them as lots of people wanting ads.

[imiric]

You think this decision was based on user feedback at all?

The simplest explanation is that they want more revenue, and WhatsApp users were an obvious source they weren't exploiting enough.

[TeMPOraL]

Obviously, but Data Is King, so you need some to wipe and cover your ass even internally.

[PaulHoule]

I was playing a lot of Beat Saber in April and got a survey which asked bizzare questions like “Do I want to use VR to manage my calendar?” They went so far as to ask for times I might be available for a focus group then they ghosted me.