Snapchat Goes After Mobile Messaging With a New Design

The last few years have been a roller coaster for Snapchat, the ephemeral photo-messaging service. Since it started in 2011, the company has made headlines for turning down billions from potential buyers and luring heavyweight talent from Facebook, Google and Amazon, facing criticism over gaping security vulnerabilities, and finding itself in a legal battle over ownership of the company’s original concept.And now, the founders are hoping to transform the company’s product into something more sleek and sophisticated, a primary hub for mobile messaging. On Thursday, Snapchat began introducing a new version of its application and its features via — what else? — a Snapchat message the company sent to its users.