Over the past few years, Snapchat has been the talk of the town and you should be very familial with dog filter and flower crown which is everywhere. That is what most people use as their display picture on Twitter and Facebook.
The man behind the creation of the popular mobile application, Snapchat, Evan Spiegel, born June 4, 1990, is living large.
According to Forbes, the 26-year-old American entrepreneur is the youngest self-made billionaire in the world with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion.
Below are things you need to know about the CEO Of Snapchat.
1. He grew up rich
Even before he created Snapchat, Spiegel has always had a luxurious life with both parents, John W. Spiegel and Melissa Ann Thomas, as lawyers. Though they divorced when he was in high school. His family had a home in Pacific Palisades, Southern California that was reportedly worth over $2 million. He attended an ultra-exclusive school called Crossroads in Santa Monica in his early years. The school costs tens of thousands per academic year.
Spiegel attended an ultra-exclusive school
His family belonged to a number of exclusive clubs, including the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica and the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. They often went on trips to Europe and even went snowboarding by helicopter in Canada.
2. He got a Cadillac Escalade at age 16
He was given a brand new 2006 Cadillac Escalade when he turned 16 and got his driver’s license. He decided to get a more fuel-efficient car to drive around the city and asked his parents parents to lease him a BMW 550i, which retails for about $75,000 in 2008.
Spiegel received a Cadillac Escalade when he passed his driving test
3. He bought his own house in 2014
Spiegel lived at his dad’s house for years before he moved out in November 2014. He bought his own three-bedroom house in Brentwood for $3.3 million.
His got his own 3 bedroom flat for $3.3 million
4. He dropped out of school
Spiegel only needed just a few credits short of graduation before he dropped out Stanford where he was studying product design. He left to work to work on Snapchat full time. This was where he met future Snapchat cofounders Reggie Brown and Bobby Murphy.
He met future Snapchat co-founders Reggie Brown and Bobby Murphy at Stangford
5. He started Snapchat as a school project
While studying product design at Stanford, he proposed Snapchat as a class project. Snapchat which was initially launched back in 2011 was created by Spiegel, Robert Murphy and Reggie Brown. Initially, it was named Picaboo. Later, Brown was cut out and the project was renamed to Snapchat with the introduction of few more features and it eventually grew into a million dollar company.
Snapchat was started as a school project
Snapchat was not his first project, but it followed several failures and developments that paved his way towards success.
6. His relationship
Spiegel had a thing with pop superstar Taylor Swift for a brief time. They were said to have met in December 2013 at a New Year’s Eve party. In 2015, he started dating supermodel Miranda Kerr. They first met at a dinner for Louis Vuitton in Los Angeles. In July 2016, the couple announced their engagement.
The couple announced that they were engaged in July 2016
7. His fashion
His signature shirt is a James Perse white v-neck, which sells for $60. He cares about fashion more than most tech CEOs.
His signature shirt is a James Perse white v-neck
8. He bought himself a Ferrari in 2015
After Snapchat completed a big funding round in June 2015, Spiegel bought himself a Ferrari.
He got himself a gift
9. Snapchat was renamed
He renamed Snapchat to Snap Inc. and called it a “camera company,” in September 2016. He also unveiled camera-equipped sunglasses called Spectacles.
Snapchat renamed to Snap Inc
10. He is taking his company public in 2017
This year, he would be taking his company public at a $20 billion valuation. Report has it that his pitch to investors will compare him to Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs.
An early photo of Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy
11. He is a licensed helicopter pilot.