"You and I are here, we're both paying attention to each other, and it feels good."
At age 21, while studying product design at Stanford University, Evan Spiegel developed the concept for an auto-delete photo messaging app—originally called Picaboo—as a class project. Partnering with co-founders and classmates Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown, they launched Snapchat in 2011. Within five years, the app surged to a valuation of nearly $20 billion.
Spiegel prioritized monetization with advertiser-friendly features like sponsored video stories and geolocation filters. Innovations such as Discover empowered media companies to reach millions of users. He aimed to take Snap Inc. public as early as March 2017, targeting a $35 billion valuation.
Impressive stats:
Over 60% of smartphone users aged 13-34 actively use the app.
Over 150 million daily active users.
Over 5 billion unique images sent since launch.
Spiegel's $2.1 billion net worth crowned him the world's youngest billionaire, per Forbes.
Discover more 2016 SUCCESS Director of the Year stories.
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
