Facebook turned me down. It was a great opportunity to connect with some fantastic people. Looking forward to life's next adventure. — Brian Acton (@brianacton) August 3, 2009 Oh how times have changed. Back in 2009, WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton told his Twitter followers that he had been rejected from Facebook. Fast-forward a few years later, and the site just bought his company for $19 billion in cash and stock. And what about the other founder, Jan Koum? He was born in a small village in Ukraine, and after moving to California, he and his mother survived on government subsidies. In fact, Koum signed the deal with Facebook at the social services office in Mountain View, CA, where he used to pick up food stamps. Compelling founder stories and all, $19 billion is a lot of money for a messaging app that's practically free. Is it worth it? Well, it was to rich-kid-on-the-tech-block Facebook, who could clearly afford it.