WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum has announced that he has left the company. Although he states that the cause is his mother, rumors want him frustrated with the way he manages the Facebook ads and privacy.
In a publication on Facebook, Jan Koum said:
It's been almost a decade since Brian and I started WhatsApp, and it was a great trip with the best people. But it is time to move forward. I was fortunate to work with an incredibly small team and see that our focus was able to produce an application that is used by so many people around the world.
A publication by The Washington Post, which was released shortly before Koum's announcement, reports that the reason Koum is leaving is due to disagreements with Facebook. It is said to have clashed with the largest social network, which bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, over user privacy and security issues. data of users of the platform.
Withdrawing from WhatsApp, he also left the board of Facebook.
If this is the real reason for Koum's departure, it is the last big blow to the credibility of the larger social network after its scandal Cambridge Analytica.
WhatsApp started sharing some of the privacy των χρηστών του με το Facebook το 2016, για να βελτιωθεί η στόχευση των διαφημίσεων. Όμως αυτό έρχεται σε αντίθεση με την περιφρόνηση που είχε δείξει από την αρχή η εταιρεία για τις διαφημίσεις. Ο άλλος ιδρυτής της εταιρείας, Brian Acton, δήλωσε στο Forbes το 2014 ότι “δεν βελτιώνει τη ζωή κάποιου κάνοντας τις διαφημίσεις να λειτουργούν better. "
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg replied to Koum's publication with the following statement:
Jan: I will miss working so closely with you. I am grateful for all you have done to help connect the world and for all you have taught me, such as encryption and the ability to transfer power from centralized systems to the hands of the people. These values will always be at the heart of WhatsApp.
If rumors are true, Koum is reportedly leaving because of Facebook's encryption policy, but we can not know exactly. Let's remind that Brian Acton openly supported the #DeleteFacebook movement last month.
As for what Jan Koum will do after that, the former WhatsApp CEO said:
I want some time to do things I enjoy except of technology, like collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars, and playing frisbee. I will continue to support WhatsApp, but externally.
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