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Dropbox, Inc.

Cloud Storage and Collaboration SoftwareFounded 2007
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Dropbox?

Drew Houston, Arash Ferdowsi · Founded 2007 · HQ today: San Francisco, California

Who founded Dropbox?

Dropbox was founded by Drew Houston, Arash Ferdowsi in 2007. It is now led by Ashraf Alkarmi.

Founders
Drew Houston, Arash Ferdowsi
Founded
2007
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Ashraf Alkarmi (since 2026)
Where was Dropbox founded?
Dropbox was founded in San Francisco, California in 2007.
When was Dropbox founded?
Dropbox was founded in 2007.
Who started Dropbox?
Dropbox was founded by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi.
How old is Dropbox?
Dropbox is 19 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

In 2007, MIT graduate Drew Houston was on a bus from Boston to New York when he realised he had left his USB drive at home. He began writing file-sync code on the trip. Y Combinator required him to find a co-founder, and he teamed up with MIT student Arash Ferdowsi, who left school to join. A short demo video posted to Hacker News and Digg in 2008 pushed the beta waitlist from about 5,000 to roughly 75,000 people overnight, according to Houston.

Drew Houston

Co-founder 2007

Background

Drew Houston studied electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. Before Dropbox he co-founded Accolade, an online SAT preparation startup, and worked as a software engineer at several startups.

Role at Dropbox, Inc.

Drew Houston co-founded Dropbox in 2007 after forgetting his USB drive on a bus from Boston to New York and starting to write sync software during the ride. Y Combinator asked him to find a co-founder, and he partnered with Arash Ferdowsi. Houston served as CEO for 19 years, turning down an acquisition approach from Steve Jobs in 2009, taking the company public on Nasdaq in March 2018, moving it to a remote-first "Virtual First" model in 2020 and steering its push into AI with Dash. In May 2026 he named Ashraf Alkarmi co-CEO and said he would become executive chairman after a transition period. Houston holds Class B shares with 10 votes each, giving him significant voting control.

Drew Houston was born in 1983 in Acton. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

Arash Ferdowsi

Co-founder 2007

Background

Arash Ferdowsi, the son of Iranian immigrants, studied electrical engineering and computer science at MIT and left before graduating to co-found Dropbox.

Role at Dropbox, Inc.

Arash Ferdowsi met Drew Houston in 2007 and dropped out of MIT in his final semester to co-found Dropbox. As chief technology officer he helped build the early sync engine and engineering team. He later stepped back from day-to-day management and left Dropbox in 2020.

Arash Ferdowsi was born in 1985 in Overland Park. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Blue Valley Northwest High School.

Ferdowsi was born on October 7, 1985.

Dropbox, Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Ashraf Alkarmi

Co-Chief Executive Officer (incoming sole CEO)

2026 – Present

Previously chief product officer at Vimeo and a product leader at Amazon and Meta. Led the core product work behind three straight quarters of paying-user growth through Q2 2026.

Tim Regan

Chief Financial Officer

2020 – Present

As CFO, he manages the company's highly aggressive transition from a high-growth Silicon Valley darling into a mature, cash-generating 'value' stock, heavily relying on massive share buybacks to appease investors.

Drew Houston

Co-Founder and Co-CEO (incoming Executive Chairman)

2007 – Present

Led Dropbox for 19 years from a Y Combinator startup to a $2.5 billion-revenue public company. Will remain executive chairman after the CEO transition.

Keep researching Dropbox

Who Founded Dropbox? FAQ

Who founded Dropbox in 2007?

Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, two Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students who combined software engineering expertise and entrepreneurial vision.

How did a bus trip to New York inspire Drew Houston to create Dropbox?

In 2007, on a bus from Boston to New York, Drew Houston realised he had left his USB drive at home and could not work on his code. He began writing the software that became Dropbox during the trip.

How did Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi meet and partner up?

Drew Houston applied to Y Combinator as a solo founder, but YC partner Paul Graham insisted he find a co-founder. An MIT mutual friend connected Houston with Arash Ferdowsi (a junior studying computer science). After talking for two hours, Ferdowsi agreed to drop out of MIT and co-found Dropbox.

What was the well-known 2008 viral launch video on Digg and Hacker News?

In April 2008, Drew Houston posted a simple 3-minute screen recording demonstrating Dropbox's smooth folder synchronization on Hacker News and Digg, packed with subtle inside jokes for tech enthusiasts. Overnight, the beta waiting list jumped from 5,000 to over 75,000 users.

How did Y Combinator (Summer 2007) support Dropbox's early acceleration?

Y Combinator provided early seed funding and mentorship from Paul Graham. Following Demo Day, prominent venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Bryan Schreier of Sequoia Capital led Dropbox's $1.2 million seed round.

What early engineering challenges did the founders solve regarding cross-platform sync?

The founders solved the difficult low-level challenge of building native file system hooks across Windows Explorer, macOS Finder, and Linux file systems, making cloud storage feel as instant and natural as a local desktop folder.

What was the founders' innovative referral program that accelerated growth?

Dropbox's referral program gave both the inviter and the new user extra free storage, turning existing users into a low-cost acquisition channel.

What roles do the founders hold today at Dropbox?

Drew Houston is co-CEO and is expected to become executive chairman after Ashraf Alkarmi becomes sole CEO. Arash Ferdowsi left Dropbox in 2020.

Who founded Dropbox?

It was founded by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. Interestingly, Houston applied to Y Combinator as a solo founder, but Paul Graham told him he needed a co-founder. Houston met Ferdowsi at MIT, and they partnered after a single two-hour conversation.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.