WhatsApp’s founder Koum to leave amid reports of clashes with Facebook

WhatsApp
WhatsApp was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $16bn Credit:  Dado Ruvic/Reuters

The founder and chief executive of Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Jan Koum, has said he is stepping down from the group, after reports emerged of clashes with the social network over its use of personal data and attempts to weaken encryption.

In a post on Facebook, Mr Koum said he was "taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as collecting rate air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee".

He said he would still be "cheering WhatsApp on – just from the outside".

The announcement came just hours after The Washington Post reported he was planning to leave, saying he had clashed with the group over how it protects users' data – an issue which has been...

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