WhatsApp CEO leaving Facebook after reportedly clashing with company leaders
We've all been there, and sometimes, when work gets in the way of expanding our collection of sports cars, the only option is to quit.
Jan Koum is the billionaire CEO and co-founder of the messaging service WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook four years ago. He's also a member of Facebook's board, and The Washington Post reported on Monday he's leaving the company because he's unhappy with how Facebook handles personal data and encryption.
In his farewell message on Facebook, though, Koum merely said WhatsApp has a team that's "stronger than ever" and he is off to grow his collection of "rare air-cooled Porsches" and play ultimate frisbee. Koum started WhatsApp in 2009 with Brian Acton, who left Facebook in 2017 to launch a nonprofit.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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