HWM Singapore – June 2019

ByMarcusWong

SEAN

PARKER

XSeanParkerco-foundedthele-sharingserviceNapster

withShawnFanningshortlyafterhighschool.Napster

was probablytherst peer-to-peermusicsharingservice,

with80 millionregisteredusersat its peak.However

artisteslike Metallicaand majorrecordlabelstook

objectionto theirmaterialbeingreleasedfor free and sued

Napster,causingit to shutdown.Parkerhas had the last

laughthough,as he laterhelpedSpotify(then,a member

of the board)negotiatedealswithvariousmusiclabels

to streammusiclegallyon the platform.Parkerwas also

instrumentalin the earlydevelopmentof Facebook;his

role is also dramatizedin the movie,The SocialNetwork.

Bestknownfor:

Co-founding

Napsterand

Facebook’srst

President

OF TECH

88 HWM | JUNE 2019

PICTURE (BACKGROUND)

123RF,

(SEAN PARKER)

ANDREW MAGER/FLICKR/CREATIVE COMMONS