Who is programmer Leif K-Brooks and what is his net worth?
ONLINE chat website Omegle is officially shutting down.
Founder Leif K-Brooks made the announcement, following user claims of abuse.
Who is Leif K-Brooks?
Leif K-Brooks is an American software developer and entrepreneur.
He was born on January 12, 1991, in Vermont, USA.
From a young age, K-Brooks had an interest in programming and creating websites.
Since the launch of Omegle in 2009, he has continued to work on developing new online platforms.
In 2013, he founded the online education company Brighten.
It site offers free video courses taught by experts in various fields.
The company was later acquired by Udemy, a popular online learning platform.
In 2016, he became the co-founder of the $1.6 million-funded startup Octane AI with Ben Parr and Matt Schlicht.
It powers numerous automated conversations for brands like Kiehl’s and celebs like Jason Derulo, Maroon 5, and 50 Cent.
When did Leif K-Brooks set up Omegle and why did it shut down?
In 2009, at the age of 18, K-Brooks launched Omegle.
It became known for its anonymous chat feature, which allows users to chat without revealing their identities.
Every user had the freedom to end a conversation and switch to a new one at their discretion.
Shortly after its launch, within less than a month, the site was already attracting approximately 150,000 page views per day.
The following year, in March 2010, the platform introduced a videotelephony feature.
Over the years, Omegle underwent several changes, including updates to its user age policy to 18 in 2022.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, the website saw a significant surge in popularity, mainly with teenagers.
However, the site has been mentioned in more than 50 cases against paedophiles in countries including the UK, US and Australia, according to the BBC.
In a blog post, K-Brooks insisted there “was a great deal of moderation’ behind the scenes at Omegle, including AI and a team of human moderators.”
“Omegle punched above its weight in content moderation, and I’m proud of what we accomplished,’ he said.
“There are ‘people’ rotting behind bars right now thanks in part to evidence that Omegle proactively collected against them, and tipped the authorities off to.”
On November 9, 2023, K-Brooks issued a statement announcing that he is shutting down the app.
He said that operating the website was “no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically”.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who used Omegle for positive purposes, and to everyone who contributed to the site’s success in any way. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep fighting for you,” he said.
What is Leif K-Brooks’ net worth?
Considering the popularity of Omegle, it comes as no surprise that K-Brooks has managed to amass an impressive net worth.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a fortune of $5 million (approximately £4 million).