WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, whose net worth now stands at around $6.5 billion, has decided to leave the company to start his own non-profit foundation. Brian Acton with current CEO of WhatsApp Jan Koum launched the messaging app service back in 2009, which now has 1.3 billion monthly active users and 1 billion daily active users. Brian will leave the company in November as reported by media outlets.
Brian in his Facebook post said,
“After 8 years at WhatsApp, I have decided to move on and start a new chapter in my life. I am very fortunate at my age to have the flexibility to take new risks and focus on what I’m passionate about. I’ve decided to start a non-profit focused at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications. It’s something I’ve thought about for a while, and now it’s time to just focus and execute. I’ll have more to share in the coming months.”
“This decision is, of course, a tough one. I’m proud of what our team has accomplished in only a few years, and it’s humbling to see that so many people rely on WhatsApp every day.”
Brian Acton is the one who till now has led engineering internally for WhatsApp. One of companies spokes person said that his role in the company was very important and no one can fulfill the void which he is leaving behind. Brain started working for Facebook when the social media giant bought WhatsApp back in 2014 for $19 billion.
Read also: WhatsApp rolls out picture-in-picture feature for video calling
It would be worth mentioning here that before launching the messaging app Brian had actually applied and interviewed for a job in Facebook, but wasn’t hired.And not just Facebook but Twitter also denied him job. I think it was best for us that he didn’t get hired by Facebook or Twitter otherwise the messaging app WhatsApp which is serving over 1 billion across the globe probably wouldn’t have existed.
Apple iPhone X Face ID Demo failed miserably at the Keynote event