Brian
Brian Acton Reuters

Brian Acton, the co-founder of one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, WhatsApp, has decided to call it quits and it is not a small deal for the company. Acton has taken this decision after spending eight years in the company.

Acton, a Stanford alumnus, had co-founded WhatsApp along with Ukrainian immigrant Jan Koum in 2009. The duo used to work at Yahoo before starting WhatsApp. Later, WhatsApp was acquired by Marck Zuckerberg's social media firm Facebook.

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Acton confirmed the news via a Facebook post. In the detailed post, Acton revealed why he took such a decision and also what he is going to do next. Here is the full text of his Facebook post confirming his resignation: "After 8 years at WhatsApp, I have decided to move on and start a new chapter in my life."

I am very fortunate at my age to have the flexibility to take new risks and focus on what I'm passionate about. I've decided to start a non-profit focused at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications. It's something I've thought about for a while, and now it's time to just focus and execute. I'll have more to share in the coming months.

This decision is, of course, a tough one. I'm proud of what our team has accomplished in only a few years, and it's humbling to see that so many people rely on WhatsApp every day."