Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Mark CubanMark CubanBorn 31 Jul 1958Cuban's stake in Broadcast.com became Yahoo shares when the internet portal bought the streaming business in 1999. The announced transaction was worth about $5.7 billion across all shareholders. Cuban and Todd Wagner had invested in and developed the business that began as Chris Jaeb's AudioNet…0i
  2. 2Todd WagnerTodd WagnerBorn 2 Aug 1960Wagner was the chief executive who led Broadcast.com through its flotation and subsequent sale to Yahoo in 1999. His foundation identifies that transaction as the source of the fortune behind his later media and philanthropic work. The headline $5.7 billion covered the whole company, including…0
  3. 3Jan KoumJan KoumBorn 24 Feb 1976Koum held an estimated 45% of WhatsApp when Facebook announced its acquisition in 2014, according to contemporaneous Forbes reporting. The agreement combined cash and Facebook shares, with additional restricted shares for founders and employees vesting over time. That substantial founder stake…0i
  4. 4Brian ActonBrian ActonActon helped build and finance WhatsApp alongside Jan Koum and retained a sizeable ownership interest when Facebook acquired it in 2014. Their combined stake exceeded 60%, according to reporting at the time. His later departure before all retention awards had vested illustrates an important…0
  5. 5Kevin SystromKevin SystromBorn 30 Dec 1983Systrom was reported to own roughly 40% of Instagram when Facebook announced the purchase in 2012. That made the acquisition personally transformative despite the company having outside investors. The often repeated $1 billion was an announcement valuation: Facebook's later accounts distinguished…0i
  6. 6Mike KriegerMike KriegerBorn 4 Mar 1986Krieger's reported 10% Instagram stake made him a major beneficiary of the 2012 Facebook acquisition, even though it was much smaller than Kevin Systrom's holding. The company's lawyers confirmed a transaction involving $300 million in cash and roughly 23 million Facebook shares. Some employee…0i
  7. 7Chad HurleyChad HurleyHurley's YouTube holding brought him hundreds of thousands of Google shares in the 2006 acquisition. The registration figures reported in February 2007 identified 694,087 shares directly and a further 41,232 in a trust. Those securities represented hundreds of millions of dollars at contemporary…0i
  8. 8Steve ChenSteve ChenBorn 25 Aug 1978Chen's work as a YouTube co-founder translated into a substantial equity payout when Google bought the company in 2006. The subsequent registration figures listed 625,366 Google shares directly and another 68,721 in a trust. Their value moved with Google's market price. The transaction shows why…0i
  9. 9Jawed KarimJawed KarimKarim received 137,443 Google shares from the YouTube transaction, according to the registration figures reported in 2007. His allocation was smaller than those of Chad Hurley and Steve Chen but still represented tens of millions of dollars. The three founders therefore illustrate different…0i
  10. 10Markus PerssonMarkus PerssonBorn 1 Jun 1979Persson owned 71% of Mojang when Microsoft acquired the Minecraft developer in November 2014. Microsoft's annual report records a $2.5 billion cash acquisition, while Forbes documented his controlling stake after the sale. That combination made the transaction unusually consequential for one…0i