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Drew Houston

Topic: Biography

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Drew Houston
Houston in 2014
Born (1983-03-04) March 4, 1983 (age 43)
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 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] He is married and has one child.

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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Forbes profile: Drew Houston". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/profile/drew-houston/. 
  2. ↑ "S-1". https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467623/000119312518055809/d451946ds1.htm#toc. 
  3. ↑ "The CNBC Next List: Drew Houston". CNBC. October 6, 2014. https://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/06/drew-houston.html. 
  4. ↑ "Phi Delta Theta: Fraternity / Become The Greatest Version of Yourself™". http://www.phideltatheta.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1642. 
  5. ↑ Bernard, Zoë (October 4, 2018). "The rise of Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, who just made the Forbes 400 after taking his company public". https://www.businessinsider.com/how-drew-houston-created-dropbox-2018-1. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Palmer, Annie (2020-02-03). "Dropbox CEO Drew Houston joins Facebook's board of directors" (in en). https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/dropbox-ceo-drew-houston-joins-facebooks-board-of-directors.html. 
  7. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (12 April 2019). "Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Is Leaving Facebook's Board" (in en). https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/reed-hastings-facebook-board-1203188563/. 
  8. ↑ "Drew Houston". http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/04/0418_youngtech_entp/index_01.htm?chan=technology_special+report+--+best+young+entrepreneurs_best+young+entrepreneurs. 
  9. ↑ "Who Is In The New Billion Dollar Valuation Club?". June 17, 2011. https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/17/billion-dollar-valuatio-club/. 
  10. ↑ "30 Under 30 2011 - Honorees". http://www.inc.com/30under30/2011/honorees.html. 
  11. ↑ Carter, Nicole (June 27, 2011). "Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, Founders of Dropbox - Inc.com". http://www.inc.com/30under30/2011/profile-drew-houston-and-arash-ferdowsi-founders-dropbox.html. 
  12. ↑ "Silicon Valley Startups". http://www.businessinsider.com/hot-silicon-valley-startups-2010-3#dropbox-is-a-tool-that-helps-you-sync-your-files-across-all-the-computers-and-other-devices-2. 
  13. ↑ "Drew Houston commencement remarks". June 7, 2013. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/commencement-address-houston-0607.html. 
  14. ↑ Schoolov, Katie (March 20, 2021). "How Texas attracts big businesses, billionaires from California". cnbc.com. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/20/how-texas-attracts-big-businesses-billionaires-from-california.html. 
  15. ↑ "Our supporters". FWD.us. http://fwd.us/our_supporters. 
  16. ↑ Nelson, Louis (June 23, 2016). "Hillary Clinton racks up business endorsements". https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/business-leaders-endorse-hillary-clinton-224706. 



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