Seven years ago, Airwallex co-founder Jack Zhang declined Stripe's offer to acquire his company for 1.20 billion USD. At that time, renowned investor Michael Moritz also advised him to accept the deal. After weeks of discussing details and pricing with Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, Zhang was nearly convinced, but ultimately, he and the three co-founders voted via a WhatsApp call to reject the offer. Since then, Airwallex has grown significantly, and the founders have accumulated wealth of 775 million USD.

Seven years ago, Airwallex co-founder Jack Zhang walked away from what looked like the deal of a lifetime. Stripe Inc. was offering to buy his firm for $1.2 billion and legendary Sequoia investor Michael Moritz was urging him to accept.After weeks hashing out the details and sale price with Stripe’s billionaire co-founder Patrick Collison, Zhang was close to agreeing. Then doubts crept in. He called a vote with his three co-founders and over a WhatsApp call they decided to turn the offer down.

Airwallex co-founder rejects Stripe's $1.2 billion acquisition offer, creating a fortune of $775 million