Date of Birth | Nationality | Residence | Education | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 24, 1976 | Ukrainian-American | Atherton, California | San Jose State University | Entrepreneur, computer programmer |
Jan Koum is a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and computer programmer best known as the co-founder and CEO of WhatsApp. He was born on February 24, 1976 in Kiev, Ukraine. He immigrated to the United States with his mother and grandmother in 1992.
Koum attended San Jose State University and worked various jobs, including at Ernst & Young and Yahoo!, before founding WhatsApp in 2009 with Brian Acton. WhatsApp quickly became one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, and in 2014, Koum and Acton sold the company to Facebook for $19 billion.
Koum is a philanthropist and has donated to various causes, including the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation. He is also a board member of the Watsi Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare to people in need.
Koum was born in Kiev, Ukraine, to a Jewish family. He and his mother immigrated to the United States in 1992, when he was 16 years old. He attended San Jose State University, where he studied computer science and mathematics.
Koum began his career at Ernst & Young, where he worked as a security tester. He then joined Yahoo! in 1997, where he worked as an infrastructure engineer for nine years.
In 2009, Koum and Brian Acton founded WhatsApp, a messaging app that quickly became one of the most popular apps in the world. In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion.
Koum served as the CEO of WhatsApp until 2018, when he stepped down. He remains on the board of directors of Facebook.
Koum is friends with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook. He is also friends with other tech entrepreneurs, including Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, and Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snapchat.
Koum is known for his inspirational quotes, including:
"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If you have an idea, go for it."
"You don't need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea."
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."
Koum has been criticized for his involvement in Facebook's data privacy scandal. He has also been criticized for his role in WhatsApp's decision to share user data with Facebook.
Koum is an avid collector of vintage cars and motorcycles. He is also a fan of the San Francisco 49ers.
Koum is a member of the board of directors of the Watsi Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare to people in need. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Wikimedia Foundation.