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Billionaire Profile
Drew Houston
Global Rank
#2253

Image: Original:Financial Times photos, Cropped:Puramyun31 | CC BY 2.0 | via Wikimedia Commons

Drew Houston

CEO, Cloud storage service
UNITED STATES
Real-Time Net Worth
$1.859B
Estimated based on Cloud storage service stock value as of April 21, 2026
+0.32% (24h)
Age
43
Source
Cloud storage service
Industry
Technology
Citizenship
UNITED STATES

Biography

Drew Houston is an American internet entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, a leading cloud storage service. Born in 1983, Houston's net worth is estimated to be $3 billion. His career began with the founding of Dropbox in 2007, after he experienced the frustration of repeatedly forgetting his USB drive. Under his leadership, Dropbox has grown to serve hundreds of millions of users worldwide. Houston, a graduate of MIT, has been recognized for his entrepreneurial achievements, including being named to the Forbes 400 list and being one of the most promising young players in the tech industry. He is known for his focus on user-centric design and simplifying technology for everyday use.

Fact Checked
Verified by Editorial Team
Live Data
Updated 4/21/2026

Wealth Over Time

In-Depth Profile

Early Life

Drew Houston was born in Acton, Massachusetts, in 1983. He demonstrated an early aptitude for technology, learning to program at age five. Houston attended Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and later graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in computer science. During his time at MIT, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Rise to Success

Houston co-founded Dropbox in 2007 with Arash Ferdowsi, another MIT student. The idea for Dropbox came from Houston's own experience of repeatedly forgetting his USB drive. The company was accepted into the Y Combinator startup accelerator. Dropbox officially launched in 2008 and quickly gained traction for its user-friendly design. The cloud storage provider went public on the Nasdaq in 2018.

Key Business Strategies

Houston has emphasized simplicity and user experience in the development of Dropbox, transforming it into a key tool for remote work and data management. He is the CEO of Dropbox and, as of March 2026, is the company's largest individual shareholder, owning over 20% of the company. Houston has led Dropbox's growth from a simple idea to a service used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Philanthropy

Houston and his wife, Erin, have signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. Their philanthropic efforts focus on education and entrepreneurship, supporting digital equity, educational access, and ethically aligned technology.

Career Milestones

2007

Co-founded Dropbox

Founded the cloud storage service with Arash Ferdowsi.

2018

Dropbox IPO

Took Dropbox public on the NASDAQ.

2020

Joined Meta's board of directors

Joined the board of directors of Facebook, now Meta.

Philanthropy & Social Impact

Education and Entrepreneurship

Focus on Education and Entrepreneurship

$2.4B

Focusing on supporting education and entrepreneurship through charitable giving.

Business Philosophy & Leadership

Notable Quotes

"Maximize your rate of learning. Pick opportunities that will push you and surround you with the most talented people."

Leadership Principles

User-focused product development

Emphasizes user experience and simplicity in product design.

Building a strong internal culture

Encourages creativity and innovation within the company.

Controversies & Challenges

2011

Privacy Policy Update

Dropbox had a Privacy Policy update with language suggesting Dropbox had ownership of users' data.

2016

Security Breach

The leak of 68 million account passwords on the Internet.

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