Snap Inc.
Snap Inc. is the American technology company behind Snapchat, Spectacles, and Bitmoji. Founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, it pioneered ephemeral messaging and augmented reality social experiences from its Santa Monica headquarters.
The Story
Snap Inc. is an American technology company founded in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the company is best known for Snapchat, a multimedia instant messaging app that popularized ephemeral content and augmented reality experiences.
The company began as Snapchat Inc. and was rebranded Snap Inc. in September 2016 to encompass its expanding product portfolio, including Spectacles camera glasses and the Bitmoji app. Snapchat grew from a Stanford dorm-room project into a global platform used by hundreds of millions of people, introducing features like Stories, Lenses, and Snap Map.
Snap Inc. went public on March 2, 2017 under the ticker symbol SNAP, reaching a market capitalization of nearly $30 billion on its first day. As of 2025, the company reports annual revenue of $5.93 billion and employs approximately 5,261 people worldwide. Snap continues to invest heavily in augmented reality and camera-first computing, positioning itself as a leader in immersive social technology.
Key Facts & Metrics
Platform
Snapchat
Ephemeral messaging and camera app featuring augmented reality lenses, Stories, and a social feed for Gen Z and younger audiences.
Company Timeline
2011 — Founded Snapchat Inc.
Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown launched Snapchat from a Stanford dorm room as an ephemeral messaging app.
2012 — Reached 1 million daily active users
Snapchat hit one million daily active users by the end of 2012; Spiegel left Stanford to focus on the company full-time.
2016 — Rebranded to Snap Inc.
Company renamed from Snapchat Inc. to Snap Inc. to reflect the broader product portfolio including Spectacles.
2017 — Snap Inc. went public
Snap Inc. IPO on March 2, 2017 under ticker SNAP, with a market cap near $30 billion on the first day of trading.
2022 — Layoffs and restructuring
Snap laid off approximately 20% of its workforce, primarily impacting the hardware division and developer products.
2024 — Layoffs and new board appointments
Snap laid off 10% of its global workforce and appointed Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone to its board of directors.
