Kim Beom-su is the founder of Kakao, South Korea's biggest messaging app, which is installed in 90% of the country's smartphones. He stepped down as chairman and left the board in March 2022. Kakao's tens of millions of users also use the app for gaming, shopping and chatting. In 2014 Kakao acquired the country's No. 2 search engine Daum in an all stock transaction worth $3.3 billion which resulted in a back door listing. That same year the South Korean government classified Kakao as a large company; it is the first tech startup that made it into the big leagues. In 2021 Kim signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes.
