Drew Houston

Drew Houston
Houston in 2014
Born (1983-03-04) March 4, 1983 (age 41)
Acton, Massachusetts, US
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-founder, CEO and 25% owner, Dropbox

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]

Early life

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]

Career

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]

Reputation

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]

Personal life

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]

References

  1. ^ a b "Forbes profile: Drew Houston". Forbes. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "S-1". www.sec.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "The CNBC Next List: Drew Houston". CNBC. October 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Phi Delta Theta: Fraternity / Become The Greatest Version of Yourself™". Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  5. ^ Bernard, Zoë (October 4, 2018). "The rise of Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, who just made the Forbes 400 after taking his company public". Business Insider. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Palmer, Annie (February 3, 2020). "Dropbox CEO Drew Houston joins Facebook's board of directors". CNBC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Roettgers, Janko (April 12, 2019). "Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Is Leaving Facebook's Board". Variety.
  8. ^ "Drew Houston". Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  9. ^ "Who Is In The New Billion Dollar Valuation Club?". techcrunch.com. June 17, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  10. ^ "30 Under 30 2011 - Honorees". inc.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, Founders of Dropbox - Inc.com". www.inc.com. June 27, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  12. ^ "Silicon Valley Startups". Business Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  13. ^ "Drew Houston commencement remarks". June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  14. ^ Schoolov, Katie (March 20, 2021). "How Texas attracts big businesses, billionaires from California". cnbc.com. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "Our supporters". FWD.us. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  16. ^ Nelson, Louis (June 23, 2016). "Hillary Clinton racks up business endorsements". Politico.