Sean Parker
Sean Parker (born December 3, 1979) is an American internet technology businessman and entrepreneur. He co-founded Napster, Plaxo, and Causes,[1] and was a part of Facebook, Inc. He continues to guide and assist Facebook in a more relaxed, unofficial capacity.[2]
Biography
Parker graduated from Oakton High School in 1998.[3] In 1999, he co-founded Napster, a free file-sharing service for music that drew the ire of recording labels and the Recording Industry Association of America.[4] Lawsuits by various industry associations eventually shut down the service.[5][6] His father began teaching him programming at the age of 7, and when he was 16 he was sentenced to community service for hacking.[7]
In November 2002, Parker subsequently launched Plaxo, an online address book and social networking service that integrated with Microsoft Outlook.[8] He left Plaxo for unpublicized reasons after disputes with two shareholders, Sequoia Capital and Ram Shriram.[4]
In 2004, Parker began informally advising the creators of Facebook, and became its president receiving 7% of Facebook's stock when the company incorporated later that year.[9] He was forced to leave Facebook after being arrested for cocaine possession.[7]
In 2006, Parker joined the Founders Fund, a venture capital fund based in San Francisco, as Managing Partner.[4][1]
In popular culture
Parker's time with Facebook is depicted in the 2010 film The Social Network, directed by David Fincher.[7] He is played by Justin Timberlake.
In 2010, Parker pledged $100,000 to the campaign to legalize marijuana in California,[10] an effort spearheaded by Drug Policy Alliance which was the guiding force behind California's Proposition 19.
References
- ^ a b Vascellaro, Jessica E. (2009-04-16). "Firm Lets Others Choose Start-Ups". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Mutzabaugh, Ben (2008-09-22). "Today in the Sky". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ http://classreport.org/main/classdirectory.asp?dname=/usa/va/chantilly/chs/&clid=18624&cl=1998&hs=CHS&clr1=purple&clr2=black&clr3=lightgrey&stcnt=585&ch=P&f=a
- ^ a b c Marshall, Matt (2006-12-12). "Founders Fund hires Sean Parker as partner, to launch second fund". Venture Beat. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Napster shut down". BBC News Online. 2000-07-27. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Napster must stay shut down". BBC News Online. 2002-03-26. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c Kirkpatrick, David (2010-09-06). "With a Little Help From His Friends". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Jardin, Xeni (2002-11-12). "Napster Co-Founder's New Venture". Wired. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Rosen, Ellen (2005-05-26). "Student's Start-Up Draws Attention and $13 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ MacAskill, Ewen (2010-10-10). "Facebook co-founder gives $100,000 to push to legalise cannabis in California". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)