Koum, 37, who co-founded the app with Brian Acton in 2009 is now estimated be worth about $6.8 billion-just 5 years later. But at one point he was a teenage immigrant who lived on food stamps.
The 'long time'-friend of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was just 16 when he moved to the U.S. from Ukraine.
As a young immigrant, Koum and his mother had to rely on food stamps to survive. Paying tribute to his humble past, he chose to sign the deal with Facebook at the same welfare office View where he used to queue to get food stamps.
The offices for WhatsApp, an instant messaging service with 450million active users which Koum created with Brian Acton in 2009, are located only a few blocks from the welfare office.
His humble beginnings appear to have instilled in him a strong work ethic and dislike for egotism - WhatsApp may be a global phenomenon but it has no sign at its office.
'I can’t see a reason for there being a sign. It’s an ego boost,' he told Forbes. 'We all know where we work.'
Similarly, co founder Acton was also turned down for a job with Facebook, the very company that has signed the deal with Whatsapp, in 2009.
He was that same same year also turned down by twitter.
Koum and Acton developed WhatsApp in coffee shops and at their homes. It took just a few years for the app to be worth billions of dollars.
Facebook is said to have paid $12 billion in stock and $4 billion in cash for WhatsApp, and the founders and employees will be granted $3 billion in restricted stock that will vest over four years after the $19 billion deal closes.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the acquisition on his Facebook page, acknowledging his long-standing friendship with Koum in particular.
'I've known Jan for a long time, and I know that we both share the vision of making the world more open and connected.
'I'm particularly happy that Jan has agreed to join the Facebook board and partner with me to shape Facebook's future as well as WhatsApp's.'
In his statement, Koum has promised that despite the billion-dollar deal, the app will continue to function in the same way, and that nothing will change-except for the better.
Comments
Post a Comment