Editing Shawn Fanning

{{short description|American computer programmer, entrepreneur, and angel investor}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = 
| name               = Shawn Fanning
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| image              = ShawnFanningJI3.jpg
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| caption            = Fanning in 2007
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| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1980|11|22}}
| birth_place        = [[Brockton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| education          = [[Northeastern University]] (dropped out)
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| occupation         = Computer programmer, entrepreneur, angel investor
| employer           = 
| known_for          = Co-founder and lead software engineer of [[Napster]]
| notable_works      = [[Napster]], [[Snocap]], [[Rupture (social networking)|Rupture]], [[Path (company)|Path]]
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'''Shawn Fanning''' (born November 22, 1980) is an American [[computer programmer]], [[entrepreneur]], and [[angel investor]]. He developed [[Napster]], one of the first popular [[peer-to-peer file sharing|peer-to-peer]] (P2P) file sharing platforms, in 1999. The popularity of Napster was widespread and Fanning was featured on the cover of [[Time magazine|''Time'' magazine]].<ref name="Shawn Fanning on cover of October 2, 2000 issue of Time magazine">{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20001002,00.html|title=Time Magazine Cover: Shawn Fanning - Oct. 2, 2000|magazine=TIME magazine|access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref>

The site in its initial free P2P incarnation was shut down in 2001 after the company's unsuccessful appeal of court orders arising from its encouraging the illegal sharing of copyrighted material. A paid subscription version of the site followed, and was purchased by Rhapsody on December 1, 2011.  Following his involvement with Napster, he joined, and invested in, a number of early-stage technology [[startup company|startup companies]].

==Computer career==

===Napster===
On June 1, 1999, Fanning released a preliminary beta program of Napster and soon, hundreds of college students at Northeastern were trading music.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=King |first=Brad |title=The Day the Napster Died |url=https://www.wired.com/2002/05/the-day-the-napster-died/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> [[Sean Parker]] was the co-founder. They got the name from Shawn's Harwich High School nickname "Nappy", in reference to his hair texture.  Shawn played on the Harwich tennis team.

===Snocap===
In 2002, Fanning was named to the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] [[Technology Review]] [[TR35|TR100]] as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/tr35/profile.aspx?TRID=251 |title=2002 Young Innovators Under 35: Shawn Fanning, 21 |magazine=[[Technology Review]] | year=2002 | access-date=August 14, 2011}}</ref> In 2003, he opened a new company, [[Snocap]], along with [[Jordan Mendelson]] (Napster's chief architect), and [[Ron Conway]]. The company aspired to be a legitimate marketplace for [[digital media]]. However, their partners and the public did not respond well. Customer support was poor, and technical issues were numerous. One of their primary partners, [[CD Baby]], wrote a scathing account of their relationship.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=CD Baby |url=http://cdbaby.org/stories/07/10/19/0126457.html |date=2007-10-19 |title=What happened with CD Baby and Snocap |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815081119/http://cdbaby.org/stories/07/10/19/0126457.html |archive-date=August 15, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=Penny Distribution |url=http://pennydistribution.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/the-rise-fall-of-snocap-what-did-we-learn/ |date=2007-12-18 |title=The Rise & Fall of Snocap – What Did We Learn? |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408232645/http://pennydistribution.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/the-rise-fall-of-snocap-what-did-we-learn/ |archive-date=April 8, 2014 }}</ref> In late 2007, Snocap laid off 60% of its workforce. ValleyWag wrote an article that Fanning had long left Snocap and began to work on another venture, [[Rupture (social networking)|Rupture]]. The ValleyWag article stated that the failure was largely due to Snocap's CEO Rusty Rueff and that of former VP Engineering Dave Rowley, who "made a mess of engineering before he was fired".<ref>{{cite news|publisher=ValleyWag|url=http://valleywag.gawker.com/310362/shawn-fanning-leaves-his-snocap-baby-an-orphan|title=Shawn Fanning leaves his Snocap baby an orphan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012195805/http://valleywag.gawker.com/310362/shawn-fanning-leaves-his-snocap-baby-an-orphan|archive-date=2010-10-12}}</ref> Snocap was looking to sell itself and fast.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=CNET News|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9796327-7.html|date=2007-10-11|title=Shawn Fanning's Snocap lays off 60 percent of workforce|author=Greg Sandoval|access-date=2010-07-26|archive-date=2012-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913042640/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9796327-7.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In 2008, they found a buyer: [[imeem]] acquired Snocap in a fire sale.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/shawn-fannings-snocap-prepares-for-fire-sale/|date=2007-10-12|title=Shawn Fanning's Snocap Prepares for Fire Sale | first=Saul | last=Hansell}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Orlowski |first=Andrew |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/07/imeem_acquires_snocap/ |title=Right idea, wrong time: Snocap's corpse washes up at Imeem |publisher=Theregister.co.uk |date=2008-04-07 |access-date=2012-08-21}}</ref>

===Rupture===
The Rupture project was announced in 2007 with seed funding.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rupture-shawn-fanning-nap_n_191427|title=Rupture: Shawn Fanning, Napster Founder, Has A New Brainchild|last=Times|first=Alex Pham LA|date=2009-05-26|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref>

In December 2006, Fanning, along with Co-founder [[Jon Baudanza]], developed [[Rupture (social networking)|Rupture]], a social networking tool designed to handle the task of publishing gamers' individual profiles to a communal space and facilitating communication between ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' players. Rupture was later acquired by [[Electronic Arts]] for $30 million.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cnet.com/news/report-ea-buys-shawn-fannings-rupture-for-30-million|title=EA buys Shawn Fanning's Rupture for $30 million |website=CNET |date=2008-05-08 |access-date=2018-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Peter Kafka |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/2008/8/shawn-fanning-s-incredible-shrinking-pay-day-ea-bought-game-company-for-15-million-not-30 |title=Shawn Fanning's Incredible Shrinking Pay Day: EA Bought Game Company for $15M, Not $30M |website=Business Insider |date=2008-08-04 |access-date=2012-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211191330/https://www.businessinsider.com/2008/8/shawn-fanning-s-incredible-shrinking-pay-day-ea-bought-game-company-for-15-million-not-30 |archive-date=2011-12-11 |url-status=live}}</ref> Fanning's career at Electronic Arts was short-lived as a round of layoffs in November 2009 included him and his team at Rupture.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Develop Online|url=http://www.develop-online.net/news/33236/EA-studios-named-in-mass-layoff-operation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114063644/http://www.develop-online.net/news/33236/EA-studios-named-in-mass-layoff-operation|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-11-14|date=2009-11-22|title=EA studios named in mass-layoff operation|author=Rob Crossley}}</ref>

===Path===
A few months after Fanning was laid off from Electronic Arts, he started a new company called [[Path.com]]. In January 2010, [[Dave Morin]] announced he was leaving [[Facebook]], where he was a Senior Platform Manager, to join Fanning and become CEO at Path.<ref>{{cite news|work=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/01/22/dave-morin-to-leave-facebook-launch-new-startup-with-napster-creator-shawn-fanning/|date=2010-01-22| title=Dave Morin Leaves Facebook, To Launch New Startup with Napster Creator Shawn Fanning|author=Michael Arrington}}</ref>

===Airtime===
In 2011 Fanning reunited with Napster cofounder [[Sean Parker]] to found [[Airtime.com]]. Some of the investors were [[Ron Conway]], [[Michael Arrington]], and [[Ashton Kutcher]].<ref>Bertoni, Steven (October 6, 2011). [https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2011/10/06/sean-parker-and-shawn-fannings-secretive-airtime-gets-big-backers/ Sean Parker And Shawn Fanning's Secretive Airtime Gets Big Backers]. ''[[Forbes]]''.</ref><ref>Apostolou, Natalie. [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/10/napster_nippers_return "Napster boys are back with Airtime"]. ''The A Register''. October 10, 2011.</ref> Fanning is CEO and Parker as executive chairman.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15239109 Napster founders return with Airtime start-up]. [[BBC News]]. October 10, 2011.</ref>

Airtime launched in June 2012 at a disastrous public event where Parker and Fanning paid huge amounts of money to have celebrities present but the product repeatedly crashed and ultimately failed to work.<ref>Sutter, John D. (June 6, 2012). [http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/tech/innovation/airtime-failure/index.html "Is Airtime (a clothed version of Chatroulette) destined to fail?"]. CNN.</ref> Greg Sandoval of [[CNET]] commented, "To launch his new start-up, Sean Parker should have spent less of his billions on celebrity guests and more of it on fixing his technology."<ref>Sandoval, Greg (June 6, 2012). [http://www.cnet.com/news/sean-parkers-airtime-not-ready-for-prime-time/ "Sean Parker's Airtime not ready for prime time"]. [[CNET]].</ref>

=== Helium Systems ===
In 2013 Fanning founded [[Helium Network|Helium Systems]] together with Amir Haleem, and Sean Carey. In December 2014, the company announced that it had raised $16 million in funding led by [[Khosla Ventures]], with participation from [[FirstMark Capital]], Digital Garage, [[Marc Benioff]], [[SV Angel]], and Slow Ventures among others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/12/09/helium/|title=With $16M In Funding, Helium Wants To Provide The Connective Tissue For The Internet Of Things|website=TechCrunch|date=10 December 2014|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
In 2000, Fanning appeared as a presenter at the [[MTV Video Music Awards]]. He appeared wearing a [[Metallica]] T-shirt as the ''[[Metallica v. Napster, Inc.]]'' lawsuit had been filed a few months prior. "[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica song)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]" played in the background. When asked where he got the shirt, Fanning stated, "a friend of mine shared it with me." [[Lars Ulrich]] was sitting in the audience, and his reaction was shown as feigned boredom.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Smallwood|first1=Karl|title=How The Founder of Napster Trolled Metallica at the VMAs - Fact Fiend|url=http://www.factfiend.com/founder-napster-trolled-metallica/|website=Fact Fiend|date=5 April 2017}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q0Z3gBActg "Lars Ulrich"]. [[YouTube]]. June 18, 2007</ref>

In October 2000, Fanning was featured on the cover of ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'' magazine.<ref>''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine. October 2, 2000</ref>

Fanning had a [[cameo appearance]] as himself in the 2003 film ''[[The Italian Job (2003 film)|The Italian Job]]''. In the film, [[Seth Green]]'s character Lyle accused Fanning of stealing Napster from him while he was taking a nap in their Northeastern University dorm room. Although other characters see this as mere bragging, a scene shows Fanning in fact creeping over Lyle's sleeping body and stealing a {{convert|3+1/2|in|mm|adj=on}} [[floppy disk]].

In early 2008, Fanning appeared in a [[Volkswagen]] commercial directed by [[Roman Coppola]], in which he poked fun at his file-sharing past.<ref>[http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/5861/ Boards Screening Room]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Fanning and Napster were the subject of [[Alex Winter]]'s documentary ''[[Downloaded (film)|Downloaded]]'' in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/movies/downloaded-a-documentary-about-napster.html|title='Downloaded,' a Documentary About Napster|last=Webster|first=Andy|date=2013-06-20|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-01-19|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|1357190}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100208032026/http://www.rupture.com/ Rupture]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050318084933/http://www.path.com/ Path]
* [http://www.airtime.com/ Airtime]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanning, Shawn}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American computer programmers]]
[[Category:File sharing]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Northeastern University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Brockton, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Harwich, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Hull, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]