Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, now owned by Facebook Inc (FB.O), said on his facebook page that he will leave the messaging service company to start a new foundation.

Acton spent eight years with WhatsApp, which Facebook bought in 2014 for $19 billion in cash and stock.

A Stanford alumnus, Acton co-founded WhatsApp with Ukrainian immigrant, Jan Koum in 2009.

The duo worked at Yahoo before starting WhatsApp.

THE NATION