Egypt’s Wael Ghoneim Quits Google to Found Start-up

Well-known youth activist Wael Ghoneim has said he has left his job with Google after a six year stint to found a start-up that aims to “disrupt the social/news space”.

Ghoneim, 34, shot to fame during the 2011 revolution which forced out longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

In 2010, he set up a Facebook page in the memory of an activist, Khaled Said, who was tortured to death at the hands of the police. The page focused on human rights abuses and brutality of police, galvanizing anger and calling for marches that, along with other strikes and protests, morphed into nationwide demonstrations that ultimately swept president Hosni Mubarak from power in February 2011.

“I officially resigned from Google after 6 years of being with the company that changed my life. Its been an amazing journey, and I’m really grateful to everything Google did for me,” Ghoneim on his official Facebook page, writing in English.

“As I’m turning 34, I thought it’s time for some new challenge,” he added, saying that he has co-founded A start-up “to explore some potential disruptions in the social/news space.” He did not give further details.

Once lauded as a hero, Ghoneim, like many other youth activists, has since fallen foul of pro-government media and has been portrayed as a traitor serving foreign agendas.
Source: Ahram Online