Jan Koum: Jan Who?

     After years of living in obscurity,  Jan Koum has had a coming out, of sorts.   His life will never be the same.   He started a company in Mountain View, California in 2009.   2009.  2009.   Not that long ago.   His company, privately held, with 55 employees, was sold to Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg for -------19 Billions of Dollars.   Let's repeat that one more time: sold for 19 BILLIONS of Dollars.
      The young man, a native of Ukraine, came to the US as a sixteen year old.  He wanted an easier, cheaper way to communicate with family back in Ukraine.  He succeeded with WhatsApp.   This program, which is free for the first year, allows a iphone/smart phone user to send messages over the internet from the phone, bypassing expensive communication service providers, saving users over 42 billion dollars in billings in 2013.
     It's about time consumers have an alternative to the international pirates who control the spectrum.  I think this young man may deserve a Nobel prize.   The investment group who put up $8millin in 2009, will see about 3billions worth return on that money.  Ahh, America.   Could this happen other places?  Maybe, but there's is something about Silicon Valley.  It's the water.
     Over 450 million users have signed up, mostly young folks.  hence, the facebook reasoning: get those youngsters now, before somebody else does.
     All the current events in Ukraine serve only to underscore the accomplishment of this immigrant from that country, and his success will only feed the desire of Ukrainians to throw off the Soviet yoke.