Evan Spiegel
Stanford University · Snapchat / Snap Inc.
The Stanford Student Who Turned Disappearing Photos Into a $20 Billion Company
6 April 2026
Evan Spiegel conceived Snapchat as a product design class project at Stanford in 2011. The idea of disappearing photos was initially mocked — his classmates thought it was pointless.
The Reggie Brown Collaboration
Spiegel developed the concept with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown. Originally called "Picaboo," the app launched in July 2011. Spiegel dropped out of Stanford just credits shy of graduating to focus on the company.
Rejecting Facebook's $3 Billion
In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly offered $3 billion to acquire Snapchat. Spiegel, then 23, turned it down — a decision widely considered one of the boldest in tech history.
IPO and Beyond
Snap Inc. went public in 2017 at a $24 billion valuation, making Spiegel the youngest public company CEO since Zuckerberg. Snapchat pioneered Stories (later copied by Instagram), AR filters, and ephemeral messaging.
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