Drew Houston

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Drew Houston
Houston in 2014
Born (1983-03-04) March 4, 1983
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] He has sat on the board of Meta Platforms since February 2020.[3]

Early life

Houston was born in Acton, Massachusetts, in 1983.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Career

Houston and Ferdowsi co-founded Dropbox in 2007.[3] Houston currently is CEO and 25% owner of Dropbox.[1]

In February 2020, Houston joined the board of directors of Meta Platforms, replacing Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who left in May 2019.[3][7]

In May 2026, it was announced that Houston will step down as CEO of Dropbox to become the company's executive chairman.[8] He will serve as co-CEO with Ashraf Alkarmi for a period before transitioning to the new role.[8]

Reputation

In 2008, Houston was named one of the "most promising players aged 30 and under" by Business Week,[9] and Dropbox has been touted as Y Combinator's most successful investment to date.[10] Houston was also named among the top 30 under-30 entrepreneurs by Inc.,[11][12] and Dropbox has been called one of the 20 best startups of Silicon Valley.[13] In 2013, MIT invited Houston to serve as speaker at its annual commencement ceremonies.[14]

Personal life

Houston lives in Austin, Texas.[15] 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.[16]

In 2016, he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election.[17]

References

  1. "Forbes profile: Drew Houston". Forbes. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  2. "S-1". www.sec.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  3. Palmer, Annie (February 3, 2020). "Dropbox CEO Drew Houston joins Facebook's board of directors". CNBC. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  4. "The CNBC Next List: Drew Houston". CNBC. October 6, 2014.
  5. "Phi Delta Theta: Fraternity / Become The Greatest Version of Yourself™". Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. 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.
  7. Roettgers, Janko (April 12, 2019). "Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Is Leaving Facebook's Board". Variety.
  8. Vanian, Jonathan (May 26, 2026). "Dropbox CEO Drew Houston to step down after 19 years at helm of cloud storage pioneer". CNBC. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  9. "Drew Houston". Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  10. "Who Is In The New Billion Dollar Valuation Club?". techcrunch.com. June 17, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  11. "30 Under 30 2011 - Honorees". inc.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  12. Carter, Nicole (June 27, 2011). "Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, Founders of Dropbox - Inc.com". www.inc.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  13. "Silicon Valley Startups". Business Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  14. "Drew Houston commencement remarks". June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  15. Schoolov, Katie (March 20, 2021). "How Texas attracts big businesses, billionaires from California". cnbc.com. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  16. "Our supporters". FWD.us. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  17. Nelson, Louis (June 23, 2016). "Hillary Clinton racks up business endorsements". Politico.