Sean Parker

Sean Parker is an American technology entrepreneur who co-founded Napster and became Facebook’s founding president. His career linked peer-to-peer music sharing with the early growth of social networking.

Shawn Fanning: Shawn Fanning is an American computer programmer who co-founded Napster with Sean Parker. Parker and Fanning built Napster together, combining Fanning’s software with Parker’s business efforts.
Napster: Napster was a peer-to-peer file-sharing service launched in 1999 for exchanging digital music. Parker co-founded Napster, whose rapid growth and copyright disputes made him widely known.
Peer-to-peer file sharing: Peer-to-peer file sharing distributes files directly among networked computers rather than through one central server. Napster’s architecture connected users’ music libraries, the model Parker helped bring to scale.
A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.: A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. was a 2001 appellate decision finding Napster liable for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. The ruling helped end Napster’s original service and shaped Parker’s early career in music technology.
iTunes Store: The iTunes Store is Apple’s digital media marketplace, launched in 2003 with paid music downloads. Its licensed, per-track sales model contrasted with Napster’s user-to-user sharing of music files.
Mark Zuckerberg: Mark Zuckerberg is an American technology entrepreneur who co-founded Facebook. Parker became Facebook’s founding president and helped the young company pursue investment and growth.
Facebook: Facebook is a social networking service launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students. Parker joined Facebook in its early period as founding president and helped establish its business direction.
Network effect: A network effect occurs when a product becomes more valuable as more people use it. Napster and Facebook both depended on growing user networks to attract still more participants.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a 1998 United States law addressing copyright in digital environments. Napster’s conflict raised questions about how copyright rules applied to online file sharing.
Apple Music: Apple Music is a subscription-based music streaming service launched by Apple in 2015. Its licensed streaming model represents the industry’s later alternative to Napster-style file exchange.

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Daniel EkRelated: Parker’s advice and industry connections helped Ek secure Spotify’s US launch.