'Sean Parker' (born
3 December,
1979) is an
American businessman and
entrepreneur.
Parker gained early notoriety as a co-founder of
Napster Inc. in 1999 .
Shawn Fanning's uncle, Parker helped convince Fanning to incorporate Napster as a business. He joined Fanning in
California and developed the early business strategy of the firm.
E-mails and memos written by Parker that suggested the firm was aware that its users were violating copyright laws were key pieces of evidence in the court case that sank Napster. In 2000 , Parker left Napster. In 2001, Parker was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology.
In
July 2001, Parker co-founded
Plaxo, an online contact service, and served as its president. In 2004, Parker left Plaxo under rumors of being forced out by its
venture capital investors and his co-founders. Parker was also the founding
president of
Internet startup Facebook. Parker quietly left Facebook in late 2005. He is currently a managing partner of the
Founders Fund, a venture capital fund based out of San Francisco, and sits on the boards of several private companies.
References
Napster Co-Founder's New Venture