World’s Inspiring Leaders

Jan Koum: Crafting WhatsApp from Humble Beginnings to Global Messenger
Jan Koum was born on February 24, 1976, in Kyiv (then part of the Soviet‑era Ukrainian SSR). Growing up in Fastiv outside Kyiv, Koum experienced life under a regime where state surveillance and censorship were common.
Born in 1985 in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China, Liang Wenfeng demonstrated an early aptitude for technology and innovation. He pursued his academic interests at Zhejiang University, earning both a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Information Engineering in 2007 and a Master of Engineering in Information and Communication Engineering in 2010.