When was WhatsApp founded?

The story behind the answer

WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, former Yahoo engineers. Koum conceived the idea after noticing the rise of the iPhone and Apple’s App Store (launched in 2008). Incorporated on February 24, 2009, in Mountain View, California, WhatsApp evolved from simple status updates to instant messaging once push notifications arrived.

It grew rapidly due to its simple, ad-free design and cross-platform reach, becoming one of the world’s most-used messaging apps. Facebook acquired it in 2014 for about $19 billion, and end-to-end encryption rolled out in 2016. Memory tip: “What’s up in ’09?”—the name itself cues the year right after the App Store boom.