WhatsApp Co-Founder Jan Koum to Leave Facebook Over Disagreements on Data Sharing and Encryption

[MacRumors]

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum today announced plans to leave the company, which is owned by parent company Facebook. Koum has worked with Facebook and served on the company's board since Facebook acquired WhatsApp for over $19 billion in February of 2014.

WhatsApp is the largest messaging service in the world with more than 1.5 billion monthly users. It is highly popular in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and several countries in Europe.

In a Facebook post, Koum said that it's "time for [him] to move on" and that he'll be taking time off to pursue non-technology related interests.

It's been almost a decade since Brian and I started WhatsApp, and it's been an amazing journey with some of the best people. But it is time for me to move on. I've been blessed to work with such an incredibly small team and see how a crazy amount of focus can produce an app used by so many people all over the world.

I'm leaving at a time when people are using WhatsApp in more ways than I could have imagined. The team is stronger than ever and it'll continue to do amazing things. I'm taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee. And I'll still be cheering WhatsApp on - just from the outside. Thanks to everyone who has made this journey possible.

Koum did not detail his reasons for leaving Facebook, but The Washington Post says he is departing because he has clashed with Facebook executives over the messaging service's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use WhatsApp personal data, monetize the service, and weaken its encryption.

In addition to leaving WhatsApp, Koum is also said to be planning to step down from Facebook's board of directors.

Koum's disagreement with Facebook is said to have heightened following the Cambridge Analytica scandal where Facebook allowed data from millions of Facebook users to be collected by a third-party app, with that data then used to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Koum did, however, plan to leave Facebook before the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light, as there have reportedly been tensions between the two companies since Facebook first purchased WhatsApp.

Facebook originally promised not to share WhatsApp data with Facebook, but that changed less than two years after the acquisition, leading to ongoing disagreements over data sharing as Facebook has pushed for more and more crossover between the two companies.

According to The Washington Post, other WhatsApp employees are demoralized by the disagreements between Facebook and WhatsApp and are planning to leave in November when their stock options vest.

Article Link: WhatsApp Co-Founder Jan Koum to Leave Facebook Over Disagreements on Data Sharing and Encryption

 

[-BigMac-]

Time to install Signal

 

[tridley68]

Take the stock money and run.

 

[larrylaffer]

"I'm taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee."

Translation: I'm rich! Neener neener!

 

[JosephAW]

I remember when FB bought them he promised everyone's data would remain secure and private.

 

[nwcs]

I remember when FB bought them he promised everyone's data would remain secure and private.

Every acquisition makes promises they don’t intend to keep. It’s mainly a smokescreen to keep the regulators and the investors happy. Seen it with Apple, Google, and many others including some of the companies I’ve worked for that were acquired.

 

[fdanna]

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum today announced plans to leave the company, which is owned by parent company Facebook. Koum has worked with Facebook and served on the company's board since Facebook acquired WhatsApp for over $19 billion in February of 2014.

WhatsApp is the largest messaging service in the world with more than 1.5 billion monthly users. It is highly popular in countries that include India, Brazil, and Europe.

In a Facebook post, Koum said that it's "time for [him] to move on" and that he'll be taking time off to pursue non-technology related interests.Koum did not detail his reasons for leaving Facebook, but The Washington Post says he is departing because he has clashed with Facebook executives over the messaging service's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use WhatsApp personal data, monetize the service, and weaken its encryption.

In addition to leaving WhatsApp, Koum is also said to be planning to step down from Facebook's board of directors.

Koum's disagreement with Facebook is said to have heightened following the Cambridge Analytica scandal where Facebook allowed data from millions of Facebook users to be collected by a third-party app, with that data then used to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Koum did, however, plan to leave Facebook before the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light, as there have reportedly been tensions between the two companies since Facebook first purchased WhatsApp.

Facebook originally promised not to share WhatsApp data with Facebook, but that changed less than two years after the acquisition, leading to ongoing disagreements over data sharing as Facebook has pushed for more and more crossover between the two companies.

According to The Washington Post, other WhatsApp employees are demoralized by the disagreements between Facebook and WhatsApp and are planning to leave in November when their stock options vest.

Article Link: WhatsApp Co-Founder Jan Koum to Leave Facebook Over Disagreements on Data Sharing and Encryption

Europe isn’t a country.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Time to install Signal

I don't know why Signal isn't more popular. It's a great app and platform. Wish more of my friends used it. Whatsapp is great but I just know Facebook is going to turn it into trash.

 

[now i see it]

An all too familiar story: giant company buys small cutting edge technology company. A few years later the brains behind the tech leave. Very common at Apple too: Siri, Beats... Etc.

 

[Colonel Blimp]

I'm taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as…

reading the Classics
learning to play the saxophone
teaching underprivilged children to read
teaching privileged children to invest
serving in the Marine Corps
serving in the Peace Corps
working to get President Trump impeached and make America great again
working to get President Trump re-elected and make America great again
seeking after spiritual enlightenment​

…collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee.

Ah, the blessings of wealth!

 

[centauratlas]

An all too familiar story: giant company buys small cutting edge technology company. A few years later the brains behind the tech leave. Very common at Apple too: Siri, Beats... Etc.

You lost me at beats, but I’d agree with the rest.

 

[Infinite Vortex]

but The Washington Post says he is departing because he has clashed with Facebook executives over the messaging service's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use WhatsApp personal data, monetize the service, and weaken its encryption.

Interesting! The primary reason I don't use WhatsApp is because they were caught to be storing data (with the intent to use/leverage) from people's contact data when they were explicitly stating at the time they wouldn't do such a thing. This was well *BEFORE* it was purchased by Facebook. Seems awfully hypocritical to me… especially after he's made his billions.

 

[rictus007]

Europe isn’t a country.

the article says: "several countries in Europe" (maybe they change it later). But some people use the name Europe like a short version of European Contries....But English is not my first language, I might be wrong

 

[BWhaler]

Facebook is so gross. Zuck and Sheryl Sanberg should be ashamed.

 

[Sasparilla]

I guess he gave $50 million to Signal. Seems bummed and a little pissed he was sold a bill of goods by Zuck and San....

 

[twistedpixel8]

Sounds like FB didn’t learn their lesson at all.

At what point did the right to privacy become a luxury? Weird world we live in.

 

[s54]

Really? What’s App is popular in Malaysia? Since when? I was just there and not a single person used What’s App from the Malaysians I met. They all used LINE.

 

[B4U]

We need someone who is rich enough and has moral to rescue these companies from the evildoers.

 

[Cosmosent]

WhatsApp is the one of the most-respected success stories in the History of Tech, and NOT simply because of the size of the FB acquisition offer, but because they struggled early-on, AND stuck with it through tough times !

 

[Ramchi]

I don't know why Signal isn't more popular. It's a great app and platform. Wish more of my friends used it. Whatsapp is great but I just know Facebook is going to turn it into trash.

I am promoting within my friends group. There are opportunities like surveys, rich text options, etc ... People are unaware of the FB-WA dangerous combination!!!

 

[acorntoy]

But, but... I just saw an ad from Facebook pledging to take good care of everybody’s data while showing happy smiling people!

/S

I got out of Facebook way back when, when you had to email them to actually delete the account and data stored and the “deactivate” button did basically nothing. Didn’t trust it then, was proven right. Why should I trust it now?

 

[racerhomie]

That is why I avoid all Facebook products.

 

[manu chao]

Time to install Signal

That won't do anything really. I had Signal and Telegram installed for years, still haven't received a single message on either.
[doublepost=1525165790][/doublepost]

We need someone who is rich enough and has moral to rescue these companies from the evildoers.

The Telegram founder and owner fits that description.
[doublepost=1525165985][/doublepost]

the article says: "several countries in Europe" (maybe they change it later).

They did change it later, in the quote of the post you replied you can see the original phrasing.

 

[CJM]

No point in saying “install signal, install telegram” if nobody you know is using them. It took years and years for WhatsApp to gain popularity and my friends still use FB messenger as the main means of communication.

 

[thewap]

Just installed Signal and invited many contacts, most have joined and like it, as do I. Encrypted, no data mining, open source, whats not to like?