WhatsApp co-founder and CEO bids goodbye to parent company Facebook

Facebook has acquired WhatsApp four years ago and just two days ago, WhatsApp’s co-founder and CEO quit the social media company.

WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook back in 2014 for $19 billion. Three years later in 2017, WhatsApp’s co-founder Brian Acton left the company and now another co-founder Jan Koum quit the company. He announced it on his social media site to which, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also replied.

While ‘feeling emotional’, Koum wrote, “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.”

It’s time to delete Facebook, says WhatsApp owner

As mentioned by Koum, the reason for his decision was to ‘take some time off’ to do things he enjoys outside of technology, such as ‘collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee’.

Zuckerberg emotionally replied that he would miss working closely with him. He wrote, “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done to help connect the world, and for everything you’ve taught me, including about encryption and its ability to take power from centralized systems and put it back in people’s hands. Those values will always be at the heart of WhatsApp.”

Facebook's Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg too replied to the post wishing Koum all the best for his life's next chapter.

However, Koum’s decision came over a purported disagreement on Facebook’s data privacy practices and business strategy for the app. He did not address any dispute with the company officials, which was initially reported by The Washington Post.

Moreover, back in March, former co-owner Acton took to Twitter after Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal with a #deletefacebook hashtag.