WhatsApp co-founders Koum and Acton make it to Forbes list of billionaires

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By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 5 March 2014 14:08 IST
Following Facebook's announced $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, the two founders of the popular mobile messaging service have now earned a new distinction - a place in the Forbes's list of global billionaires.

According to Forbes, 38-year-old Jan Koum, who ranks 202 in the list, is now worth $6.8 billion and 42-year-old Brian Acton (rank 551) is worth $3 billion.

(Also see: Facebook to buy WhatsApp in a $19 billion deal)

Run by just 55 employees, WhatsApp has over 450 million active users.

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Koum and Acton are among 26 newcomers who made it fresh to the annual list, alongside Twitter's Evan Williams, who has a fortune of $3 billion.

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates topped the list with his $76 billion fortune. Gates has topped the list in 15 of the last 20 years.

The Microsoft Corp co-founder reclaimed the top spot after a four-year hiatus, toppling Mexico's telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu. Slim came in second with his fortune of $72 billion.

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A record 1,645 billionaires with a total net worth of $6.4 trillion made Forbes' list, up from 1,426 last year. Just over 10 percent were female, with 172 women compared with 138 a year earlier. This year's annual rich list has the largest number of female billionaires ever, said Forbes.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc heiress Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman, in ninth place, at $36.7 billion. France's Liliane Bettencourt, who got much of her wealth from cosmetics company L'Oreal SA, was next among women at $34.5 billion, and ranked 11th overall.

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The Internet was well-represented. Google Inc founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin ranked 17th and 19th, worth a respective $32.3 billion and $31.8 billion, while Amazon Inc's Jeff Bezos was between them at $32 billion.

However, according to the Forbes report, it was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who made the most money in the world over the past year.

From 2013's estimate of $15.2 billion to $28.5 billion this year, Zuckerberg's net worth nearly doubled within one year.

Written with agency inputs

 

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Further reading: Brian Acton, Jan Koum, WhatsApp
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