Jan Koum

Jan Koum (#171)

Global Rank #171

Country Rank #66

Country United States

I want to do one thing and do it well.

$ 17 B
WhatsApp
United States
M
50 Years

Snapshot

Quick Facts

Global Rank #171

Country Rank #66

Net Worth $16.8B

Previous Worth $16.8B

Worth Change +$0.0B

Country United States

Industry WhatsApp

Age 50 Years

Gender M

Worth As Of May 4, 2026

Residence Atherton, California

Citizenship United States

World Billionaires List United States Billionaires WhatsApp

Profile Data

Personal Stats

Age 50

Source Of Wealth WhatsApp, Self Made

Self Made Score 10

Philanthropy Score 2

Residence Atherton, California

Citizenship United States

Marital Status Single

Education Drop Out, San Jose State University

Net Worth Change +$0.0B +0.0% from previous worth

Previous Net Worth $16.8B

Current Net Worth $16.8B

Worth as of May 4, 2026

About Me

Jan Koum cofounded WhatsApp, now the world's biggest mobile messaging service, in 2009. Facebook bought the startup for $22 billion in cash and stock in 2014. He resigned as CEO of WhatsApp in 2018 and announced he would leave Facebook's board as well. Koum worked at Yahoo for nearly nine years before leaving to found WhatsApp. Now, he invests through his firm Newlands, which holds nearly 10 million shares of Facebook's parent company Meta and is building a portfolio of startups.

Achievements

Forbes List Highlights

A snapshot of the list placements and rankings connected to Jan Koum.

#166

Billionaires (2026)

#57

Forbes 400 (2025)

#28

Richest In Tech (2017)

Insights

Did You Know?

Koum immigrated to California from Ukraine with his mother at age 16 and swept floors to make ends meet.

Koum signed the deal to sell WhatsApp to Facebook in an abandoned building where he once collected food stamps as a teenager.

Wealth Growth

Net Worth Growth Over Time

Tracking Jan Koum's net worth journey over the years, highlighting key growth phases and financial milestones.

Worth Trend Net Worth Growth

Period Change Worth Movement

Current Net Worth: $16.8B (May 4, 2026)