If you're going to sell something for $16 billion, you'd think it would involve planning your travels in style. Except, according to Whatsapp co-founder Jan Koum, finalizing the Facebook deal was organized around a plane ticket he couldn't change because it was booked using reward points.

Surely he doesn't need to buy a plane ticket using reward points from today onwards. From travel forum Flyertalk—Koum explains that he had booked his ticket to Mobile Congress Week in Barcelona far in advance using miles. "I prefer to fly using miles when I can to save company money," he reasons.

Then when he had to sign the contract between Facebook, he wouldn't be able to sign it before his flight to Spain departed:
When the risk of the delay became real, I said: "if we don't get it done on wednesday, it probably wont get done. I have tickets on thursday to fly out to Barcelona which I bought with miles and they are not easily refundable or even possible to change. this has to be done by wednesday or else!!!"

... And so one of the biggest deals in tech history had to be scheduled around my M&M award ticket :)
To think he didn't want to book another flight out. This guy is stingy! [Beacon]