Early Life
Brian Acton was born in Michigan in 1972 and displayed an early interest in computer science. He graduated from Lake Howell High School and later studied at Stanford University, earning a degree in computer science in 1994.
Rise to Success
Acton's career began in 1992 as a systems administrator at Rockwell International. He subsequently worked in product testing at Apple and Adobe Systems before joining Yahoo! in 1996. During his time at Yahoo!, he met Jan Koum, with whom he would later co-found WhatsApp. Acton and Koum left Yahoo! in 2007 and, after being rejected for jobs at Facebook, co-founded WhatsApp in 2009. The messaging app was later acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion. Acton left WhatsApp in September 2017 due to disagreements over the company's direction and monetization strategies.
Key Business Strategies
Acton's vision for WhatsApp centered on simple, reliable, and secure messaging. He prioritized user privacy and resisted Facebook's attempts to monetize the platform through advertising, leading to his departure. After leaving WhatsApp, he co-founded the Signal Foundation, which develops the secure messaging app Signal.
Philanthropy
Acton and his wife, Tegan, have been significantly involved in philanthropy. They established Wildcard Giving in 2014, which encompasses Sunlight Giving, Acton Family Giving, and Solidarity Giving. Through these entities, they have donated over $1 billion to various charitable causes, focusing on supporting communities, social justice, and building empathy.