# Jan Koum

_Ukrainian-born American entrepreneur, co-founder of WhatsApp_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/jan-koum
Last updated: 2026-10-30

> Jan Borysovych Koum is an American billionaire businessman and computer programmer. He is the co-founder and former CEO of WhatsApp, a mobile messaging app which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for US$19.3 billion. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of US$15.2 billion as of October 2023, making him one of the richest people in the world. Koum was ranked 44th on the Forbes' list of richest Americans in 2023 with a net worth of $15.1 billion.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 24 February 1976 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Kyiv ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States; Ukraine ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P27))
- **Occupation:** engineer; computer scientist; programmer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P106))
- **Education:** San José State University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P69))
- **X (Twitter):** jankoum ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P2002))
- **Facebook:** jan.koum ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P2013))
- **Instagram:** jkoum ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800#P2003))

## Questions

**When was Jan Koum born?**  
Jan Koum was born on 24 February 1976 in Kyiv.

**Where did Jan Koum study?**  
Jan Koum was educated at San José State University.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Jan Koum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Koum) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q15737800](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15737800) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Jan Koum - Whatsapp - 4 Years from Now (12791847664).jpg by Tech.eu Photostream (CC BY 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Koum_-_Whatsapp_-_4_Years_from_Now_(12791847664).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Jan Koum, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Jan Koum - Whatsapp - 4 Years from Now (12791847664).jpg — Tech.eu Photostream, CC BY 2.0.

## Cite this page

"Jan Koum". DigiNepal. Last updated 30 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/jan-koum. Retrieved 5 November 2026.