You imply a tale of woe by saying "few years", when it was really closer to 2 decades. He was on food stamps as a child, he'd worked at Yahoo for a decade and started working on Whatsapp with hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, and at the time of the acquisition their finances were extremely healthy.

So, after two decades, the memory of having been on food stamps goes completely away, you say? And it doesn't count in that decision anymore?

Let me remind you that elderly people still have very vidid memories of famine and war troubles even 70+ years later.

It seems to me you are just being pedantic.

It seems to me that you're using someone's personal history to project your own personal views. We have no idea if he is motivated by what you're saying. The OP's counter point is just as valid as yours.

Personally, if I'd grown up on food stamps and was deeply concerned for my future welfare you can bet I would have sold before the price reached $18bn. I'm quite sure WhatsApp had many offers over the years.