WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton to leave company

New Delhi: Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp which was later acquired by Facebook, on Wednesday announced that he was leaving the company to start a non-profit venture of his own.

"After 8 years at WhatsApp, I have decided to move on and start a new chapter in my life," Acton wrote on Facebook.

"I have decided to start a non-profit focused at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications," he added.

Acton had co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009 and agreed to sell it to Facebook in 2014 for approximately $19 billion USD in cash and stock.

"I am very fortunate at my age to have the flexibility to take new risks and focus on what I`m passionate about," he said.