Jan Koum is a Jewish-born computer programmer and inventor. He was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and is an American. He is a co-founder of WhatsApp, which is now a popular global messaging app. Jan Koum was born into a poor Ukrainian family. He immigrated to the United States with his mother and grandmother, where he worked hard with his mother on low-wage jobs to make ends meet. But he discovered his talent in computers early on and pursued it until he became a billionaire.
Quick Facts
| Celebrated Name: | Jan Koum |
|---|---|
| Real Name/Full Name: | Jan Koum |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 48 years old |
| Birth Date: | 24 February 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.80 m |
| Weight: | 78 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | In a relationship |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | N/A |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | Yes (Evelina Mambetova) |
| Profession: | Computer programmer |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $11 billion |
Jan Koum Biography
Jan Koum was born on February 24, 1976, in Kyiv, Ukraine. His Jewish parents had only one child. His struggle began early in his life as a result of his country’s unfavorable political environment. To avoid difficulties in their home state, the family decided to relocate to the United States, where his mother worked as a babysitter and he worked as a cleaner in a grocery store.
He continued his studies and discovered that he was good at computer programming. He was a skilled network engineer when he graduated from high school. He enrolled at San Jose University for further studies while continuing to work as a security tester for Ernst & Young, a global accounting firm. Here he met Brian Acton, a colleague from his Yahoo assignment. They would later collaborate to make a name and fame for themselves.
Jan Koum Age, Height, Weight
Jan Koum was born on February 24, 1976, and is 48 years old as of 2024. His height is 1.80 m and he weighs 78 kg.
Career
Jan Koum began his career with zeal, taking his talent for computer programming to the next level. While working as a security tester for Ernst and Young, he was assigned to Yahoo, a search engine, where he collaborated with Brian Acton, an old Yahoo employee. Jan Koum later joined Yahoo as an infrastructure engineer while continuing to study. However, work pressures forced him to leave university and work for Yahoo for nine years. His friendship with Brian Acton grew stronger.
Their mutual interest in social media platforms prompted them to leave Yahoo in 2007 to pursue new opportunities. They established their company, WhatsApp Inc., on February 24, 2009. And in early 2010, WhatsApp Messenger was launched, which quickly gained popularity and had around 200 million active users in 2013. In 2014, the social media company Facebook paid $19 million for WhatsApp, anticipating its enormous potential.
Jan Koum Achievement And Awards
Jan Kuom’s greatest achievement was incubating an idea for an instant messaging service that could work across the globe by using mobile phone users as a base.
Before being purchased by Facebook, he and his friend Brian Acton built up their user base to 500 million active users handling billions of messages around the world.
The acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook for $19 billion is one of the world’s greatest value-creation achievements by anyone.
Jan Koum and Brian Acton were runners-up in the Founder of the Year category at the 8th annual crunchies Awards in 2015.
Jan Koum’s Net Worth in 2024
Jan Koum’s net worth is estimated to be $11 billion as of February 2024. The sale of his company WhatsApp to Facebook for $19 billion in cash and stock, of which he was 45% owner, accounts for a significant portion of his net worth.
Jan Koum’s salary and stock options as a member of Facebook’s board of directors increase his net worth. To increase his net worth, he has been selling Facebook stock.
Jan Koum accomplished at a young age what many would have accomplished in a lifetime through sheer hard work and the application of his computer expertise and ideas to create a product loved and used by millions around the world.
His messenger WhatsApp ushered in a communication revolution in instant messaging, all at a low cost to the user. The unassuming and media-averse personality is widely admired around the world.
