Evan Spiegel is the co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., the company behind the popular social media app Snapchat. Spiegel came up with the idea for Snapchat while he was a student at Stanford University in 2011 and launched the app with his classmates Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown. Since then, Snapchat has grown into one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, especially among younger users.
What inspired Evan Spiegel to create Snapchat?
As a product design major at Stanford, Spiegel was interested in finding ways to communicate visually. In 2011, many social platforms like Facebook and Instagram focused on permanent sharing and visible metrics like likes. Spiegel saw an opportunity to create an app focused on impermanent sharing between close friends.
Spiegel has said the idea for self-destructing messages came to him when a friend complained about a regrettable photo he had sent via text. This sparked the idea for an app where users could share moments that disappear. Spiegel viewed this as a more authentic way to communicate compared to the curated permanency of other social media.
How was the initial version of Snapchat developed?
Spiegel drafted an early proposal for Snapchat (then called Picaboo) and recruited fellow Stanford students Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown to help develop it. Spiegel and Murphy had complementary skillsets, with Spiegel focused on design and Murphy bringing engineering expertise.
The team worked out of Spiegel’s father’s house in Los Angeles during the summer of 2011. They launched the initial iOS app in July 2011 with basic photo messaging functionality. The app allowed users to send photos that disappeared after 1-10 seconds. To spur growth, they focused on college campuses and created a website for sharing Snapchat usernames.
How did Snapchat evolve in the early years?
Snapchat quickly caught on among young smartphone users as a fun, low-pressure way to share moments. By the end of 2012, Snapchat users were sending 50 million snaps per day. Key developments in the app’s early growth included:
- October 2012 – Added ability to draw/caption photos
- November 2012 – Launch on Android
- December 2012 – New filters and speed adjustment
- May 2013 – Introduced video snaps
- October 2013 – Stories added for 24 hour public sharing
Spiegel focused on a stripped-down interface centered on the camera and communication. He was determined to avoid overt social media conventions like public user profiles, comments, and visible metrics.
How did Snapchat’s growth lead to company milestones?
As Snapchat expanded, Spiegel and Murphy incorporated as Snap Inc. in September 2012. They relocated operations from LA to Venice Beach. Here are some key milestones from Snapchat’s rocketing growth:
- April 2013 – Launched branded Discover channels
- November 2014 – Raised $485 million at $10 billion valuation
- March 2015 – Launched advertising API
- September 2016 – Rebranded as Snap Inc. and launched camera-enabled Spectacles
- March 2017 – Went public at $17 billion valuation, SPNI stock symbol
Snapchat continued rapidly adding features like lenses, memories, groups, and local stories. By 2017, Snapchat had over 158 million daily active users sending over 2.5 billion snaps a day.
What contributed to Snapchat’s cultural resonance?
Several factors allowed Snapchat to emerge alongside mammoths like Facebook:
- Focus on close friends – Snapchat encouraged users to share unpolished moments without social media pressure.
- Ephemerality – Auto-deleting messages lowered risks and barriers to posting.
- Authenticity – Unfiltered sharing made Snapchat interactions feel more personal.
- Privacy – Snapchat did not use an open social graph or permanent public content.
Demographic trends also boosted Snapchat’s growth as millennials and Generation Z embraced it for unfiltered self-expression. Over 70% of Snapchat users were under 25 years old as of 2020.
What role did partnerships play in Snapchat’s success?
Snapchat’s partnerships with influencers and publishers helped introduce new forms of mobile media:
- Influencers – Snapchat collaborated with top creators to develop new AR lenses and filters.
- Media partners – Their Discover platform allowed major publishers to share bite-sized mobile content.
- Brand sponsorships – Advertisers paid for sponsored lenses and geofilters based on Snapchat’s data capabilities.
These partnerships extended Snapchat’s reach while providing revenue streams that fueled growth. They also reinforced Snapchat as a hub for mobile entertainment and commerce.
How has Snapchat evolved under Evan Spiegel’s leadership?
As CEO, Spiegel’s product philosophy and focus on the camera continue to guide Snapchat. Some developments under his leadership include:
- Marketing as a camera company – Snap now calls itself a “camera company.” Products like Spectacles AR glasses reinforce this positioning.
- AI features – Snaps can now identify objects, music, etc thanks to enhanced machine learning capabilities.
- Maps – Integration of Snap’s Zenly acquisition allows social map overlays and location sharing.
- Platform expansion – Snap Kit allows third-party apps to integrate Snapchat functionality.
While user growth has slowed, Snapchat continues innovating in areas like augmented reality. It faces ongoing competition from platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Conclusion
Evan Spiegel turned a Stanford class project into one of the defining social platforms of the mobile age. His vision for impermanent sharing captured the zeitgeist and tapped into smartphone behaviors among young people. Though competitors have copied features, Snapchat retains a unique brand rooted in Spiegel’s design principles. Spiegel’s long-term impact remains to be seen, but he has already cemented himself as one of the great technology innovators of recent times.