WhatsApp founder and Chief Executive Officer Jan Koum is leaving Facebook just a few years after his messaging app was acquired by Facebook.
WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook for $22 billion in 2014 and presently has 1.5 billion users.
Jan Koum wrote on his Facebook page about leaving Facebook. He said, “It’s been almost a decade since Brian and I started WhatsApp, and it’s been an amazing journey with some of the best people. But it is time for me to move on. I’ve been blessed to work with such an incredibly small team and see how a crazy amount of focus can produce an app used by so many people all over the world. I’m leaving at a time when people are using WhatsApp in more ways than I could have imagined. The team is stronger than ever and it’ll continue to do amazing things. I’m taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee. And I’ll still be cheering WhatsApp on – just from the outside. Thanks to everyone who has made this journey possible.”
Jan Koum didn’t gave any reason for leaving Facebook.
Reacting to Jan’s departure, Mark Zuckerberg, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Facebook said, “I will miss working so closely with you. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done to help connect the world, and for everything you’ve taught me, including about encryption and its ability to take power from centralized systems and put it back in people’s hands. Those values will always be at the heart of WhatsApp.”
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook said, “The work you’ve done building WhatsApp has connected so many people around the world. I’m grateful to have worked with you and I wish you all the best in your next chapter.”
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