Snap

Graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Product Design, after taking design classes at Otis College of Art and Design and the Art Center College of Design while still in high school. As a student, worked paid internships at a biomedical company and Intuit on the TxtWeb project, alongside an unpaid sales internship at Red Bull. In April 2011, proposed an app with ephemeral messaging as a product design class project, then worked with classmates Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown to launch "Picaboo," later renamed Snapchat. Left Stanford in 2012 to focus on Snapchat shortly before completing his degree; by year-end the app had reached 1 million daily active users. Known for being a hands-on CEO actively involved in day-to-day operations who encourages employees to take risks and experiment with new ideas.

Studied English at Stanford University, where he brought the idea for disappearing photos to Evan Spiegel in spring 2011. Named the initial app Picaboo and designed the ghost logo still used today. Collaborated with Spiegel and Murphy on the original patent filing, but co-founders changed passwords and locked him out in August 2011 following disputes over equity and contributions. Filed suit in 2013 and settled in September 2014 for $157.5 million, with Snapchat acknowledging his contribution to the creation of the app. Has maintained a low profile since the settlement.

Holds a B.S. in Mathematical and Computational Science from Stanford University, where he met co-founder Evan Spiegel in the Kappa Sigma fraternity. After graduating from Stanford, Murphy spent a year working as a software engineer at Revel Systems, using half of his paycheck to cover the cost of Snapchat's server bills before the company secured venture funding. Has served as Chief Technology Officer and a member of the board of directors since May 2012, where he leads the company's product, engineering, and research teams. Worked with Snapchat's Snap Labs team, which produced Spectacles camera glasses. Known for an intensely low-profile approach; Snapchat's first employee likened his demeanor to that of a "monk" due to his calm, unflappable nature.