Wednesday, November 06, 2024
Advertisement
  1. You Are At:
  2. News
  3. Business
  4. Jan Koum and Brian Acton: The unlikely founders behind WhatsApp's rise

Jan Koum and Brian Acton: The unlikely founders behind WhatsApp's rise

New York: WhatsApp isn't your average Silicon Valley startup.The company's founders Jan Koum, 38, and Brian Acton, 42, shun the media spotlight and are much older than your typical college dropout-turned CEO. And at a

India TV News Desk Updated on: March 06, 2014 8:53 IST



The whopping $19 billion that Facebook is paying for the service is also unusual, even as other startups with no profit, or even revenue, are commanding sky-high valuations.

Koum and Acton are at the center of the largest buyout deal ever for a venture-backed company. How did two former Yahoo engineers who witnessed the late 90s dot-com boom - and bust - create the world's hottest app and make 10-year-old Facebook seem a tad grizzled?

"Jan keeps a note from Brian taped to his desk that reads "No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!' It serves as a daily reminder of their commitment to stay focused on building a pure messaging experience," wrote Sequoia Capital partner Jim Goetz in a blog post about Thursday's deal. Sequoia is WhatsApp's sole venture capital investor.

The Ukraine-born Koum, WhatsApp's CEO, move to the U.S. when he was 16. Acton was born in Michigan.

Advertisement

Read all the Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from Business

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement