Brian Acton
WhatsApp co-founder who funded the Signal Foundation
- Age
- 54 yrs
- Birthday in 105 days
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Brian Acton is an American programmer who co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum. After Facebook bought it, he left in 2017, joined the #DeleteFacebook campaign and gave $50 million to co-found the Signal Foundation with Moxie Marlinspike, where he is executive chairman.
Biography
Yahoo
Acton studied computer science at Stanford and was an early employee at Yahoo in 1996, where he worked with Jan Koum.
Rejected
In 2009 both Twitter and Facebook turned down his job applications. That year he joined Koum on WhatsApp, raising money from former Yahoo colleagues.
Leaving Facebook
After Facebook bought WhatsApp, Acton disagreed with plans to show ads and use data. He left in 2017, giving up about $850 million in unvested shares.
Signal
In 2018 he co-founded the non-profit Signal Foundation with $50 million and became its executive chair, also serving as interim CEO of Signal Messenger.
Timeline
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1972
Born in Michigan, United States
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1996
Joins Yahoo
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2009
Rejected by Facebook and Twitter; co-founds WhatsApp
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2014
Facebook buys WhatsApp
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2017
Leaves Facebook
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2018
Co-founds the Signal Foundation
Did you know?
-
1
His 2009 tweet “Facebook turned me down” became famous after the sale.
-
2
In 2018 he tweeted “It is time. #deletefacebook”.
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3
He supports charities through the Acton Family Giving foundation.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Brian Acton?
Brian Acton is an American programmer who co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum. After Facebook bought it, he left in 2017, joined the #DeleteFacebook campaign and gave $50 million to co-found the Signal Foundation with Moxie Marlinspike, where he is executive chairman.
How old is Brian Acton?
Brian Acton is 54 years old, born on 17 February 1972 in Michigan, United States.
Where is Brian Acton from?
Brian Acton was born in Michigan, United States.
What is Brian Acton known for?
Brian Acton is best known for Co-founding WhatsApp (2009); co-founding the Signal Foundation (2018).
References
- Brian Acton — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Brian Acton — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Brian Acton — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Brian Acton (Q15778935) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Brian Acton”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Brian Acton.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/brian-acton
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