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Co-founder of Dropbox From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andrew W. Houston (/ˈhaʊs.tən/; born March 4, 1983) is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, an online backup and storage service. According to Forbes, his net worth is about $2.2 billion.[1] Houston held 24.4% of voting power in Dropbox before the company filed for IPO in February 2018.[2]
Drew Houston | |
|---|---|
Houston in 2014 | |
| Born | March 4, 1983 |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder, CEO and 25% owner, Dropbox |
Houston was born in Acton, Massachusetts, in 1983.[3] He attended Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in the 1990s. He later graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[4] It was there that he met Arash Ferdowsi who would later go on to be co-founder and CTO of Dropbox. During his time in college, Houston also co-founded a SAT prep company.[5]
Houston and Ferdowsi co-founded Dropbox in 2007.[6] Houston currently is CEO and 25% owner of Dropbox.[1]
In February 2020, Houston joined the board of directors of Facebook, replacing Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who left in May 2019.[6][7]
In 2008, Houston was named one of the "most promising players aged 30 and under" by Business Week,[8] and Dropbox has been touted as Y Combinator's most successful investment to date.[9] Houston was also named among the top 30 under-30 entrepreneurs by Inc.,[10][11] and Dropbox has been called one of the 20 best startups of Silicon Valley.[12] In 2013, MIT invited Houston to serve as speaker at its annual commencement ceremonies.[13]
Houston lives in Austin, Texas.[14]
In April 2013, a lobbying group called FWD.us (aimed at lobbying for immigration reform and improvements to education) was launched, with Houston listed as one of the founders.[15]
In 2016, he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election.[16]
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