# Reggie Brown

> Frank 'Reggie' Brown IV is the original co-founder of Snapchat who conceived the idea of disappearing photo messages in 2011 while a junior at Stanford University. He created the concept, named the app 'Picaboo,' designed the ghost logo, and served as CMO - before being locked out of accounts by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy months after founding. His 2013 lawsuit settled for $157.5 million, exceeding the Winklevoss-Facebook settlement. He has since lived almost entirely out of public view.

- **Role:** Private Individual
- **Organizations:** Snap Inc. (co-founder), Toyopa Group (co-founder)
- **From:** Columbia, South Carolina, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, McCallie School, BA, English, Stanford University, Master's Degree, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business
- **Known for:** Conceived the core concept of disappearing photo messages that became Snapchat, Co-founded Toyopa Group (parent company of Snapchat) in 2011, Named the original app 'Picaboo' (a play on peek-a-boo)

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Enrolled at Stanford University as English major; joined Kappa Sigma fraternity
- **2011-Spring** — Conceived the idea for disappearing photo messages in his Stanford dorm room; approached Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy
- **2011-Summer** — Co-founded Toyopa Group; named the app 'Picaboo'; designed the Ghostface Chillah ghost logo; served as CMO
- **2011-August-16** — Locked out of all company accounts and servers by Spiegel and Murphy while visiting family in South Carolina
- **2012** — Graduated Stanford with BA in English; watched Snapchat grow without him
- **2013** — Filed lawsuit against Spiegel and Murphy for IP theft and wrongful exclusion; worked brief unpaid internship at SC Attorney General's Office
- **2013-2014** — Enrolled in Duke Fuqua 10-month Master's program while lawsuit proceeded
- **2014** — First settlement tranche paid: $50 million; Snap Inc. officially credited Brown with the conceptual idea for Snapchat
- **2016** — Second settlement tranche paid: $107.5 million; total settlement reached $157.5 million
- **2017** — Snap Inc. IPO filing publicly disclosed the $157.5M settlement for the first time, bringing Brown's story to national attention
- **2017-present** — Living privately in South Carolina; no public digital presence

## Achievements

- Conceived the core concept of disappearing photo messages that became Snapchat
- Co-founded Toyopa Group (parent company of Snapchat) in 2011
- Named the original app 'Picaboo' (a play on peek-a-boo)
- Designed (or co-designed) the iconic Ghostface Chillah ghost logo
- Filed the original provisional patent application listing all three co-founders
- Drafted the original terms of service, privacy policy, and FAQ for the app
- Settled lawsuit against Spiegel and Murphy for $157.5 million - exceeding the Winklevoss-Facebook settlement of $65 million
- Received official credit in Snap Inc.'s corporate history as the originator of the disappearing messages concept

## Latest updates

- **2017-02** — Snap Inc.'s IPO S-1 filing with the SEC publicly disclosed the $157.5M settlement with Brown for the first time, bringing his story to national headlines
- **2017-02** — Post and Courier investigation found Brown living quietly in South Carolina with minimal public footprint
- **2016** — Received final $107.5M tranche of settlement from Snap Inc.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reggiebrown

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/reggie-brown
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29