Who invented WhatsApp and when - briefly?
WhatsApp was invented by Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009. The app was officially launched on January 24, 2010, and quickly gained popularity as a messaging platform.
Who invented WhatsApp and when - in detail?
Jan Koum, a Ukrainian-born American entrepreneur, is credited with inventing WhatsApp. Born in Kyiv on February 24, 1976, Koum immigrated to the United States with his mother at the age of 16, settling in Mountain View, California. After graduating from high school, he attended San Jose State University, where he developed an interest in programming and networking.
In 1997, Koum was hired by Yahoo as an infrastructure engineer. His time at Yahoo played a significant role in shaping his understanding of the tech industry and provided him with valuable insights into building scalable systems. After spending nearly a decade at Yahoo, Koum left the company in September 2007 to take some time off.
During his break from work, Koum visited Apple's App Store and noticed the absence of an efficient messaging app. Seeing this gap as an opportunity, he decided to create a messaging platform that would allow users to communicate seamlessly across different devices. With the help of his friend Brian Acton, who had previously worked at Yahoo with Koum, they founded WhatsApp Inc. in 2009.
The initial version of WhatsApp was released on January 24, 2009, for iPhone users. The app quickly gained traction due to its user-friendly interface and ability to send messages without the need for a traditional SMS plan. In 2010, Koum hired Chris Peiffer as an iPhone developer, and together they expanded WhatsApp's functionality to support other platforms, including BlackBerry and Android.
In February 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp Inc. for approximately $19 billion. As part of the acquisition, Jan Koum joined Facebook's board of directors, while Brian Acton left the company in September 2017 to start his own foundation, Acton Family Giving.
Jan Koum's vision and technical expertise were instrumental in creating WhatsApp, which has since become one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide. Today, WhatsApp boasts over two billion users across more than 180 countries, revolutionizing how people communicate in the digital age.