Koum

Koum is a surname best known for its association with Jan Koum, a Ukrainian-born American entrepreneur and co-founder of WhatsApp.

Jan Koum (born 1976) grew up in Kyiv and later in Fastiv before immigrating to the United States in 1992, where he settled in California. He attended San Jose State University and worked at Yahoo! for several years, developing expertise in engineering and security. In 2009, Koum co-founded WhatsApp with Brian Acton, launching a mobile messaging service that emphasized simplicity, speed, and cross-platform compatibility.

WhatsApp rapidly gained users around the world and became one of the most widely used messaging platforms. In 2014, Facebook (now Meta Platforms) acquired WhatsApp for approximately $19 billion, a deal that solidified Koum’s status as a prominent figure in the tech industry. During the Facebook era, WhatsApp operated largely as a separate unit within the company, with Koum remaining a key executive for a period of time.

In 2018, Koum left Facebook, stepping back from his roles within the company after controversial debates over privacy and data handling. His departure marked the end of a formative era for WhatsApp as part of a larger corporate environment. Since leaving Facebook, Koum has maintained a relatively private profile.

Koum’s work with WhatsApp significantly influenced the evolution of mobile messaging, contributing to a shift toward encrypted, globally accessible communication. The name Koum remains most closely associated with this impact in the tech industry.