Acquired 112 snips
Jan 29, 2020 Dive into the intriguing saga of Facebook's $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp. Was it a savvy strategy or a monumental misstep? Learn about WhatsApp's rise from humble beginnings to a leading messaging platform, and the pivotal decisions shaping its journey. Discover the internal struggles between user privacy and corporate interests after the acquisition. Delve into missed monetization strategies and the app's evolution amid privacy concerns. Join the debate on whether the acquisition was a brilliant chess move or an expensive blunder.
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Jan Koum's Childhood
- Jan Koum, WhatsApp's co-founder, grew up in a Ukrainian village without basic amenities during the 1970s.
- He later immigrated to Mountain View, California, with his mother and grandmother, facing hardships and loss.
Early Career
- Jan Koum learned programming by buying manuals from used bookstores, returning them after learning.
- He joined a hacker group, met Napster's Sean Fanning, and worked at Yahoo as an infrastructure engineer.
Brian Acton's Background
- Brian Acton, WhatsApp's other co-founder, was raised by a single mother who ran a freight forwarding business.
- He joined Yahoo as employee #44, becoming the Chief Architect of Project Panama, and met Jan Koum.