Self-made Billionaire (Series)

Cleaner to Billionaire

Jan Koum worked as a cleaner at a store, a college dropout who created whatsApp, got the billion dollar idea over a cup of tea; co-founded whatsApp with a friend Brian Acton; the Facebook that rejected his candidature for the job once, bought the App for US$19.3 billion and today the duo founders stand with reported net worth US$10 billion and US$ 2.9 billion respectively

By Mukesh Sharma

 

With one billion daily users across the world, WhatsApp has become a part of day-to-day life. Where ever one is, one remains in touch with one’s near and dear ones round the clock. Indeed WhatsApp has created a sense of togetherness in the world.

Jan Koum & Brian Acton who have created 
the sense of togetherness in the world

The life story of genius Jan Koum reads like a rags to riches.

Born on Feb24, 1976 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, he moved with his mother and grandmother to Mountain View, California(US) in 1992 at the age of 16. Before his father could join the family, he died in 1997 in Ukrain.

Young Jan worked as a cleaner at grocery store. His mother worked as a babysitter in early days of struggle.

Battling for better life, at the age of 18, the promising Jan developed interest in computer programming. So he enrolled himself at San Joe State University and also continued a job with Ernst and Young as a Security Tester. At this juncture, Jan met one Brian Acton. Soon both became good friends.

Later in 1997, Jan got a job in Yahoo as an infrastructure Engineer. So he dropped out of college. Brian Acton also joined Yahoo. Both worked with Yahoo for a long nine years. In September, 2007, both left the job with Yahoo and applied for job with Facebook. The candidatures of both were rejected.

In 2009, Jan got an idea for an App over a cup of tea at his friend’s Fishman’s kitchen counter. Jan decided to name it as WhatsApp as it sounds like what’s up.

Later on Feb24, 2009, Jan Koun incorporated whatApp as a company with tittle WhatsApp Inc in California. Further he also convinced his friend Brian Acton to join the company with a co-founder status after Brian managed to bring in $ 250,000 in seed funding.

On Feb9, 2014, Zuckerberg of Facebook invited Jan Koun for dinner at his residence and formally proposed a deal to join Facebook as a one of board of directors with profit share. After 10 days Facebook also announced that it was acquiring whatsApp for US $ 19.3 billion.

Another co-founder of whatsapp Inc Brian Acton is an American computer programmer. Born in Michigan and grew up in central Florida. He studied at Lake Howel High School and also graduated from Stanford University in 1994.

A momentary idea over a cup of tea changed the destiny of Jan Koum and Brian Acton.

The world shall remain grateful to Jan Koum for instilling the sense of togetherness in the world what even different religions failed to do.

Self-made Billionaires (Series)

He Became World’s Youngest Self-made Billionaire at 23

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, a ‘’programmer prodigy” created Facebook from his dormitory room while studying at Harvard University; his net reported worth is US $ 88.2 billion as on July14, 2020

By Mukesh Sharma

The most of the people in the world remain mute witness to happenings; some express awe and dismay at the happenings; but a few make things happen. Those who make things happen, think beyond impossibilities; they look beyond present to peep into future; they don’t tell the world what they can do, they just do it. Of course the young and dynamic Mark Zuckerberg who needs no introduction, is the one who has set rather unbeatable records with his stunning ‘feats’ in the world of computer communication, and has shrunk the world into tiny a mobile. Mark Zuckerberg is a success personified; his life is an epitome of inspiration to young minds.

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, who has shrunk the world into a tiny mobile

Surprisingly enough, at the young age of 23, he became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. Forbes listed him as the 4^th richest person in the world. In 2010, Time magazine named him among the 100 wealthiest and the most influential people in the world.

The New Yorker magazine says:

Some kids played computer games, Mark created them.

In a yet another observation, the New Yorker says:

By the time Mark began classes at Harvard, he had already achieved a reputation as a programmer prodigy.

Born on May 14, 1984 in White Plains, New York (US) in a family of doctors - his mother Karen a psychiatrist and father Edward Zuckerberg a dentist. Mark was raised in a Jewish household and his ancestors hailed from German, Austria, and Poland.

Mark studied at Ardsley High School and was a brilliant student. On his college admission form, he mentioned that he could read and write French, Hebrew, Latin and ancient Greek.

After  schooling, Mark studied at Harvard University where he launched the Facebook Social Networking from his hostel dormitory as a student on February 4, 2004 with his roommates.

As a co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg serves as a Chairman and CEO of Facebook. Inc. He is also the co-founder of the Solar Sail Spacecraft.

Indeed, the world of communication owes a lot to genius Mark Elliot Zuckerberg! Hats off to him.

Rahul Gandhi God-incarnate?

Humour

Rahul Gandhi God-incarnate?

“I seek out those in pain and embrace them. I erase hatred and fear. I love all living beings.”

By Mukesh Sharma

In an interview to a vernacular newspaper, the Congress Supremo Rahul Gandhi is reported to have said: “Congress is the party of the Muslim.”  To take the political leverage of the seemingly catchy statement, ever ready the sharpest knife of BJP Samit Patra rushed to favorite and favorable TV channels and pronounced his speaking judgment that Rahul Gandhi had played the communal card and had tried to polarize the populace which was a threat to secular fabric of India, and it did debunk the pseudo-secularism of Congress party . . . .blah blah.

Smelling the perceptible danger of alienating the majority Hindus, Rahul Gandhi quickly posted a great and grand TWEET:

“I stand with the last person in the line. The exploited, marginalized and the persecuted. Their religion, caste or belief matter little to me. I seek out those in pain and embrace them. I erase hatred and fear. I love all living beings. I am the Congress.”

Virat Swaroop of Rahul Gandhi 

The tone and tenor of the tweet reminds me of Lord Krishna’s divine discourse where in X chapter of the Bhagwad Gita, Sloka 32, while revealing His Virat Swaroop (the colossal manifestation of the Self) to confused and cathartic Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurushetra, He says:

“Of creation, I am the beginning, the end and also the middle, O Arjuna; of the science (I am) the science of the self; of those who debate I am the dialect.”

Looking at the Virat Swaroop of Rahul Gandhi portrayed through the words, Rahul Gandhi detractors are in jittery. They fear Rahul Gandhi might don the garb of a saint in future. He may have the large following of disciples rather than Congress workers.

I too salute Rahul Gandhi with folded hands for his Virat Swaroop! May He be merciful to all the creation and creatures. Moral: nothing is impossible for a neta.