Snapchat has been one of this year's hottest apps, and has earned its co-founders a cool $10 million each after the app was valuated at $800 million. Yet, the two founders, Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, may have left someone important out of the picture: Reggie Brown; a fellow Stanford student who's saying he came up with the idea for the app, and is now suing Snapchat Inc. to get his share of the pie. Yes, it's the Winklevoss Twins situation all over again.
Let's backtrack: According to Brown (left side of the above picture with Murphy and Spiegel), back in 2011, he started the company in his dorm room with Spiegel and Murphy. Brown says he described his idea to Spiegel, who then tapped Murphy to piece the app together. Brown claims he then helped draw up the logo, design the product, pick out the original name (which was called Picaboo), file patents, and get it on iTunes. The trio then moved into a house together so they can work on the app exclusively—because that's what people do, thanks The Social Network.
Brown says that he then got into an argument with Murphy and Spiegel, and they kicked him out of the company.
We'll have updates as the case moves forward. Do you think Brown is owed some money, at least? Or is he just out of luck?
