Early Life
Jan Borysovych Koum was born on February 24, 1976, in Kyiv, Ukraine, to a Jewish family. He grew up in Fastiv and immigrated to the United States with his mother and grandmother at age 16, settling in Mountain View, California. His father never joined them and died in 1997. During his early years in the U.S., Koum faced financial challenges, with his mother working as a babysitter while he worked as a cleaner at a grocery store. These experiences shaped his character and instilled a strong work ethic. His mother died in 2000 after a long battle with cancer.
Rise to Success
Koum's interest in computer programming began at age 18. He enrolled at San Jose State University and simultaneously worked at Ernst & Young as a security tester. He dropped out of college to work as an infrastructure engineer at Yahoo! where he met Brian Acton in 1997. Over the next nine years, Koum and Acton worked together at Yahoo!. In 2007, they left Yahoo and traveled around South America. Both applied to Facebook but were rejected.
In January 2009, Koum bought an iPhone and recognized the potential of the App Store. He then discussed with Alex Fishman for an idea for an app. Koum, with Brian Acton, co-founded WhatsApp in February 2009. The app gained traction with its focus on simplicity and reliable messaging, avoiding SMS fees.
Key Business Strategies
WhatsApp's key strategies included a focus on simplicity, speed, and reliability, prioritizing user experience and end-to-end encryption. This approach allowed WhatsApp to gain traction and popularity. This approach, combined with a strong emphasis on user privacy and the avoidance of advertising, differentiated WhatsApp from competitors. The acquisition by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion in cash and stock was a crucial strategic move. Koum’s focus was always on providing a product that people could rely on. By 2025, the app has 3 billion users.
Philanthropy
Jan Koum has made significant contributions to various causes, including donating $1 million to The FreeBSD Foundation and $556 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) in 2014. He also supports Jewish and Israeli causes, donating to organizations like the European Jewish Association and the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS. He has also made donations to two universities: Fordham and Stanford. In 2022, he donated $2 million to AIPAC. Koum's foundation endowed a permanent Israel studies program at Stanford University.
