Talk:Whatnot

Sources

Able to be expanded with and probably more. Justiyaya 09:35, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

Whatnot request: Update employee figure

Hi everyone, I'm Evan and I work for Whatnot and have a conflict of interest with this article. There are a couple of small edits that I want to put forward for the infobox table:

1. Can the employee number be updated and a reference added? The number listed now doesn't have a citation and it isn't accurate. The most recent reference and figure I've found (and that is reasonably close to the current figure) is approximately 800 per this Puget Sound Business Journal article.

• New number and reference to add: ~800 (August 2025)

2. In other Wikipedia articles, I've seen a "Key people" listing in the infobox that notes the CEO and sometimes other major roles. Can that be added here?

• Key people to add: Grant LaFontaine, CEO
• Note: If this feels duplicative right now, since Grant is mentioned as founder, could his role as CEO be noted in that Founder field?

Also, I can work on getting our logo uploaded so it can be added to the top of the infobox and I'll hop back here when I've figured that out.

Thanks and let me know if there's anything I can do to help with this article. WhatnotEB (talk) 21:14, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Done Kline • talk • contribs 16:49, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Possibly a stub and might be needed to expand

The article is very short and might be a stub. At this current moment, I am not skilled enough to expand the article and will need someone else to expand the article. Swissplen (talk) 05:13, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

Whatnot request: Updating History section

Hey folks! I agree with what User:Swissplen has suggested above, about the article being a bit short on content. Additionally, the History is more of a (slightly outdated) description of how the platform works than a record of the company's evolution over the past five-plus years. I've written a new draft, which independent editors can review by clicking the dropdown below. My draft seeks to replace primary sources with secondary ones, add some new information about the Whatnot platform's early days, and cover a few recent milestones that illustrate how the company has grown.

Extended content

Whatnot was founded in 2019 by Grant LaFontaine and Logan Head. Before expanding to host a more diverse range of products, the platform started as a marketplace for Funko Pop figurines. In 2020, Whatnot began hosting live shows in which sellers would promote products and field questions from potential customers. This soon became an important part of the company's business model. In 2024, sellers using Whatnot sold $3 billion worth of goods via live sales and Whatnot received $265 million in a Series E funding round that valued the company at $4.97 billion. A Series F funding round conducted in October 2025 raised another $225 million and valued the company at $11.5 billion. This funding round was co-led by DST Global and CapitalG and included investments from Greycroft, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia Capital.

References

Please note that I've incorporated a version of the lone sentence in the Funding and valuation section into this draft. I think it makes sense to cover funding within the History section, but perhaps other editors will disagree. I'll defer to their judgment on that one. Either way, I hope what I'm proposing improves the article overall.

Thank you in advance to anybody who takes the time review! WhatnotEB (talk) 15:25, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

Done Likeanechointheforest (talk) 19:20, 20 December 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for reviewing and approving, User:Likeanechointheforest! WhatnotEB (talk) 19:25, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

User:Likeanechointheforest: Sorry to bother you again, but I just noticed that the Funding and valuation section is still on the page. Would you mind removing it, since the funding information is now under the History heading? Thanks! WhatnotEB (talk) 22:21, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

Done, thanks! Likeanechointheforest (talk) 20:18, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Whatnot request: Adding company logo to infobox

I've got a small request here, hope it doesn't take anyone more than a few minutes to review and complete. I recently uploaded Whatnot's wordmark logo to Wikimedia Commons. You can view the file by clicking this link. Would a non-COI editor mind adding the logo to the infobox? Appreciate it! WhatnotEB (talk) 19:27, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

Done IsCat (talk) 03:57, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, User:IsCat! WhatnotEB (talk) 22:22, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

Whatnot request: Updating Operations section

Hey again! As currently constructed, the Operations section is light on information and a little bit outdated, so I put together a more comprehensive version that provides a circa now description of the company and its platform. Independent editors can review by clicking the dropdown below:

Extended content

As of June 2025, Whatnot operates in nine countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Australia.

As of November 2025, Whatnot features goods across approximately 140 product categories, including fashion apparel and accessories, beauty products, electronics, live plants, and collectibles such as trading cards, rare coins, and action figures. Its sellers can list products within an online storefront or sell them via live shows. These live shows produce the majority of sales on the platform. Some Whatnot users watch the shows as a form of entertainment as well as a shopping experience. As of May 2025, the average user spent more than 80 minutes per day on the app. Whatnot generates revenue through transaction fees on completed sales.

References

If editors have any questions or concerns about this draft, please reply below and I'll do my best to address them. Thanks! WhatnotEB (talk) 21:53, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Not done: A majority of the requested changes are currently written in a promotional tone. Please review WP:Neutral point of view and ensure you follow this before submitting any edit requests. - Otherwise (Talk?) 13:39, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

User:Mustbeotherwise:: I appreciate the feedback. Which aspects of the draft do you find promotional? Is there maybe a specific sentence or two that you find problematic? I ask because I’m happy to revise the draft, so that it better adheres to those guidelines you passed along. I’m just a little bit unclear as to what I should fix. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide! WhatnotEB (talk) 14:05, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

The main problem is that the draft mentions marketing-style language without neutral context:

• “the average user spent more than 80 minutes per day on the app,”
• “Some Whatnot users watch the shows as a form of entertainment as well as a shopping experience,”

- Otherwise (Talk?) 17:14, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

User:Mustbeotherwise: Thank you for clarifying — that's really helpful. I've reviewed both flagged sentences and want to share my thinking, and I'm happy to revise based on your input.

Regarding "the average user spent more than 80 minutes per day on the app" — I'd gently push back on this one. The claim comes from a reliable, independent source (The Information), and I believe it's presented as a straightforward statistic rather than a marketing claim. For comparison, the TikTok Wikipedia article includes similar engagement data in the same factual framing: "The average user, daily, was spending 1 hour and 25 minutes on the app." I'd argue the Whatnot stat functions the same way — it describes user behavior based on third-party reporting. I'm also happy to add "as of May 2025" to give it clearer temporal context. That said, I'm open to rewording it further if you think there's a more neutral framing.

Regarding "Some Whatnot users watch the shows as a form of entertainment as well as a shopping experience" — I take your point. I'm happy to remove this sentence entirely from the draft.

Would a revised draft that drops the entertainment line and keeps the engagement stat work for you? I'm glad to resubmit once we've agreed on the changes. Thanks again for taking the time to explain your concerns. WhatnotEB (talk) 15:34, 23 February 2026 (UTC)