Zoom is acquiring startup Keybase to help it build end-to-end encryption as part of its 90-day plan to fix security flaws
Zoom is acquiring Keybase, a secure messaging and file sharing service, as the video communications company tries to improve the privacy and security of its platform.
Keybase cofounder Max Krohn will now lead Zoom's security engineering team and report directly to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Keybase's last valuation was $42.6 million after raising a $10.8 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz in 2015, according to Pitchbook. Keybase has 25 employees, according to CNBC.
The acquisition is part of Zoom's 90-day plan to shore up its privacy and security announced in early April, after the company faced a cavalcade of privacy and security issues amid its huge surge in usage due to the coronavirus pandemic. Keybase engineers will join Zoom's security engineering unit. They will proactively identify, address, and enhance the security and privacy capabilities of its platform, Zoom said in a press release. Additionally, leaders from Zoom and Keybase will work together to figure out what the future looks like for Keybase's product.
