WhatsApp reclusive founder Jan Koum donates $2 million to AIPAC

The founder of the popular messenger service WhatsApp Jan Koum has recently made a $2 million donation to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), its largest donation to date. 

The California-based billionaire, who normally leads a recluse life, has come into the spotlight recently with his large donation, leading to scrutiny over his other past donations. 

Koum, a 46-year-old retired entrepreneur who made his fortune from his invention of WhatsApp and then its sale to Facebook, immigrated as a teenager from Ukraine with his mother to northern California, where he learned computer programming at a young age. 

Koum's wealth is now estimated at between $9.8 billion and $13.7 billion, according to a report last week by Haaretz on his donation, making him among the world's richest people. His recent donation to AIPAC doubles previous record donations by long-time "mega-donors" Haim Saban, Paul Singer and Bernard Marcus, according to the report. 

Koum's family foundation has been increasing its donations to Jewish and Israeli interests in recent years. These include Ir David, the US fundraising part of Elad, a right-wing NGO that works to settle Jews in Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. He has also donated $600,000 to the Maccabee Task Force Foundation, which claims to fight anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.  

From 2019 to 2020, Koum has reportedly donated $140 million in gifts to about 70 Jewish NGOs working in the United States, Eastern Europe and Israel.  

According to Haaretz's report, Koum's only previous political donations were to Virginia US House candidate Derrick Anderson's 2022 Republican primary campaign.