Super-rich Jan Koum has revealed he started the WhatsApp messaging service because he "didn't want to get a real job" The billionaire founder of WhatsApp has declared the messaging service will not merge with Facebook. Jan Koum made the comments at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona just a short week after the social network paid $19bn for WhatsApp. He told a packed theatre that there were "no plans for integration with Facebook whatsoever." Koum, an immigrant from Ukraine who settled in the USA in 1992, said he was not concerned about competition after the record-breaking sale.
Speaking to TechCrunch editor Ingrid Lunden, Koum said: "It’s important for people to have freedom to use whatever product they want. SEE MORE AFTER CUT>>>>>
"We have no problems with other people using other apps, so long as they keep using WhatApp.” Koum, who turned 38 yesterday, spoke about the creation of WhatsApp and claimed he made it so he didn't "have to get a real job". WhatsApp are set to add voice calls to their service this year and Koum spoke about the experimental period for his start-up firm. "When we started experimenting with messaging we knew a lot about the problems of SMS," Koum said "There has not been a lot of innovation about Voice, other than visual voice mail from Apple. "We have done recorded voice messaging. The color of the microphone changes when someone listens to the message. "When we do something we want to do it better. We’ve been researching voice. "We have this adaptive codec which adapts to the bandwidth you have available. We will be able to provide good quality for voice. "When it comes everyone will be able to use it."
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