“For Jan Koum, 38, the windfall would stand in stark contrast to his years as a teenager, when his family relied on food stamps after emigrating from Ukraine. The experience of living in a country where phone lines were often tapped, instilled the importance of privacy in him, said Jim Goetz, a partner with Sequoia Capital Ltd., WhatsApp’s lone venture capital investor. WhatsApp doesn’t collect information like name, gender, address or age. Instead, users are approved after their phone numbers are authenticated. ‘It’s a decidedly contrarian approach shaped by Jan’s experience growing up in a communist country with a secret police,’ said Goetz in a blog post yesterday on Sequoia’s website.”
Related posts:
$1.3 billion flowing through 2012 presidential race
Marc Faber: Time to short stocks!
UberPOP halts service in France after clampdown, protests
$20 Million Claim Against Dept. Of Corrections By Man Shot In Bed 16 Times
Tampa RNC 2012 Arrest Video - Public Service Announcement
Dying Organs Restored To Life With Mitochondria Injections
Italy’s Saipem Plans 8,800 Job Cuts After Oil Price Falls
Actuarial study: Obamacare law to bring double-digit percent increases to insurance premiums
Why Did It Take a Sex Scandal to Topple the DEA Chief?
Warren Buffett's bubble cash-out strategy revealed in 38-year-old letter
Egyptian security forces open fire in dawn raid on praying pro-Morsi supporters, 42 dead
China Devaluation Is Blow to Cash-Strapped Argentina’s Reserves
PBS: It's No Bubble - Why We Should All Give Bitcoin a Chance
German spy service to monitor Internet traffic ‘as closely as possible’
India central bank lifts ban on import of gold coins, medallions by banks