WhatsApp chief Jan Koum exits Facebook board amid reports of discontent over privacy policies
Jan Koum, chief executive officer and co-founder of Facebook-owned WhatsApp has confirmed he has exited his role at the company amid press reports he has clashed with fellow board members over data usage policies.
Jan Koum joined Facebook in 2014 after its $19bn purchase of WhasApp
He confirmed his exit in a Facebook post dated April 30, adding that we intended to take a period of absence away from the tech industry in favor of personal pursuits, with The Washington Post citing sources close to the developments claiming he has also resigned his board membership.
Facebook has thus far declined to comment on his status as a member of its board of directors, but the original claims the exit is due to him clashing with parent company Facebook over the messaging apps "service’s strategy and Facebook’s attempts to use its personal data and weaken its encryption.”
Albeit, the announcement of his exit from the Facebook fold was met with a civil message from chief executive Mark Zuckerberg (see image) thanking him for his work since joining the social network in 2014 via way of a $19bn purchase.