Sean Parker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sean Parker
|
|
|---|---|
Parker in 2011
|
|
| Born |
Sean Parker
December 3, 1979 Herndon, Virginia, U.S.
|
| Education | Oakton High School Chantilly High School |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Known for | Managing Partner at The Founders Fund Co-founder of Plaxo, Napster, Airtime, and Causes President of Facebook Chairman of the Parker Foundation |
| Spouse(s) |
Alexandra Lenas
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 2 |
Sean Parker (born December 3, 1979) is an American entrepreneur known for helping create famous internet companies. He was a co-founder of the music-sharing service Napster and was the first president of the social media website Facebook.
Parker also helped start other tech companies like Plaxo, Causes, and Airtime.com. He is the founder of the Parker Foundation, a group that gives money to important causes like science, health, and helping communities. As of May 2025, Forbes magazine estimated he was worth about $3.0 billion.
Contents
Early Life and Hacking
Sean Parker was born in Herndon, Virginia. His father, Bruce, was a scientist for the U.S. government, and his mother, Diane, worked in TV advertising. When Sean was seven, his dad taught him how to program a computer. His father gave him some important advice: "if you are going to take risks, take them early before you have a family."
As a teenager, Parker loved programming and hacking. When he was 16, he was hacking into the computer network of a major company when his dad took his keyboard away. He couldn't log out, and the FBI traced his computer's IP address back to him. Because he was a minor, he was sentenced to do community service instead of going to jail.
Education
Parker went to two different high schools in Virginia. He was very skilled at coding. He even convinced his school to let him count the time he spent in the computer lab as a foreign language class.
By his senior year, he was already starting companies and earning over $80,000 a year from his projects. This was enough to convince his parents to let him skip college and become a full-time entrepreneur. Parker loved to read and taught himself many things. He often says that his time at Napster was like his college, calling it "Napster University."
Famous Companies
Napster
When Parker was 15, he met 14-year-old Shawn Fanning online. They both loved programming and science. A few years later, they started Napster, a free service that let people share music files online. Parker found the first $50,000 to start the company.
Napster launched in 1999 and quickly became incredibly popular, with tens of millions of users in just a year. However, many music companies and artists, including the band Metallica, were unhappy because their music was being shared for free. They sued Napster, and the service was eventually shut down. Even so, Napster is seen as a company that completely changed the music industry.
Plaxo
In 2002, Parker started Plaxo, an online address book and social networking service. It was one of the first services of its kind and helped inspire later companies like LinkedIn and Facebook. Plaxo grew quickly and gained 20 million users. After two years, Parker left the company after a disagreement with the investors.
In 2004, Parker discovered a new website called "The Facebook" on his roommate's computer. He had already worked with other social networking sites, so he knew it had potential. He met with the founders, Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, and soon became the company's first president.
As president, Parker helped find Facebook's first major investor, Peter Thiel. He made sure that Zuckerberg kept control of the company, which allowed it to grow without pressure from outside investors. Parker also suggested ideas for Facebook's simple design and its popular photo-sharing feature. Zuckerberg has said that Parker was very important in turning Facebook from a college project into a real company.
In 2005, Parker stepped down as president but continued to advise Zuckerberg as the company grew. Years later, in a 2017 interview, Parker said he was worried about how social media affects people. He said sites like Facebook can create a "social-validation feedback loop" and that he tries to limit his own use of social media.
Founders Fund
In 2006, Parker joined Founders Fund, a company that invests money in new technology startups. The company was started by Peter Thiel, Facebook's first investor. Parker helped find and support new companies with promising ideas. He left his main role at Founders Fund in 2014 to work on other projects.
Spotify
While working at Founders Fund, Parker was looking for a legal way to share music, similar to his original idea for Napster. In 2009, he discovered Spotify, a music streaming service from Sweden. He contacted the founder, Daniel Ek, and in 2010, he invested $15 million in the company.
Parker helped Spotify make deals with major music companies, which allowed it to launch in the United States in 2011. He also helped create a partnership between Spotify and Facebook, letting users share their music playlists on their profiles.
Helping Others Through Philanthropy
Since 2005, Parker has donated millions of dollars to causes he cares about, especially cancer research, global health, and community involvement. Philanthropy means using money to do good in the world.
In 2007, he started Causes, a Facebook app that helps people donate to charities. By 2013, it had helped raise over $50 million for thousands of non-profit groups.
The Parker Foundation
In 2015, Parker created the Parker Foundation with a $600 million donation. The foundation focuses on three main areas:
- Life Sciences: Researching biology and medicine to cure diseases.
- Global Public Health: Improving health for people all over the world.
- Civic Engagement: Encouraging people to get involved in their communities.
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
In 2016, Parker donated $250 million to start the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. This institute brings together top scientists from different universities to work on new ways to treat cancer. One of their projects was the first in the U.S. to test a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR to help the body fight cancer.
Political Work
Parker donates to politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. He supports leaders who are willing to work together. He has supported causes like making taxes fairer and improving gun safety laws.
He also helped create a program called Opportunity Zones. This program encourages people to invest money in towns and cities that need economic help.
Personal Life
In 2013, Parker married singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas. They have a daughter and a son.
The wedding took place in Big Sur, California. The theme was inspired by The Lord of the Rings, and all the guests wore special costumes. The event caused some controversy because it was held in a protected forest area. To make up for it, Parker donated $2.5 million to help protect the local environment and created an app to map the California coastline.
See also
In Spanish: Sean Parker para niños
