WhatsApp Founder Is Signal’s New Interim CEO

Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of Signal, is stepping down as CEO, with WhatsApp founder Brian Acton stepping in on an interim basis.

Signal is one of the most secure messaging platforms on the market, and has seen a major increase in usage as privacy has become more important to users. In fact, according to a recent report, Signal was one of the only apps the FBI was unable to glean any useful information from. The only information that could be gained was when an account was created and when it was last used.

Amid Signal’s rising popularity, Marlinspike has decided it’s time to hand over the reigns.

In other words, after a decade or more, it’s difficult to overstate how important Signal is to me, but I now feel very comfortable replacing myself as CEO based on the team we have, and also believe that it is an important step for expanding on Signal’s success. I’ve been talking with candidates over the last few months, but want to open up the search with this announcement in order to help find the best person for the next decade of Signal. Please get in touch if that might be you!

WhatsApp founder Brian Acton will take over as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found. Acton as been a member of Signal’s board for some time, and has invested over $100 million in the Signal Technology Foundation. Acton became a vocal supporter of Signal, and a critic of his own creation WhatsApp, after Facebook purchased WhatsApp and began exploring options he felt would degrade the app’s privacy.

I will continue to remain on the Signal board, committed to helping manifest Signal’s mission from that role, and I will be transitioning out as CEO over the next month in order to focus on the candidate search. Brian Acton, who is also on the Signal Foundation board, has volunteered to serve as interim CEO during the search period. I have every confidence in his commitment to the mission and ability to facilitate the team for this time.