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Person

Sean Parker

Sean Parker 2011 (link) by Amager at English Wikipedia is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 (link)
Nationality:

American
Occupation:

Tech Entrepreneur

Founder, Napster

Former President, Facebook (2004-2005)

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Sean Parker is a technology entrepreneur who founded the file sharing network Napster and served as the first president of Facebook. Parker met Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin in 2004; he later became the company’s president in summer 2004. 1 In 2005, Parker was asked to leave Facebook as president after being arrested for cocaine possession. 2

Political Funding

Parker has donated to both Democrats and Republicans but leans towards Democrats on issues like campaign finance reform and a Nevada gun control initiative. 3 4

In 2010, Parker donated $100,000 to the California Proposition 19 campaign, which would have legalized marijuana throughout the state. 5 In 2016, he donated $400,000 to Proposition 63 campaign which would have required background checks for all ammunition purchases in California. 6

Parker played an instrumental role in adding provisions for Opportunity Zones in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. 7

References

  1. Kirkpatrick, David. “ With A Little Help From His Friends”. Vanity Fair. September 6, 2010. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/10/sean-parker-201010
  2. Eaton, Kit. “Why You Should Care About Sean Parker: The Man Behind Napstar, Facebook, and Chatroulette”. Fast Company.  September 8, 2010. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.fastcompany.com/1687619/why-you-should-care-about-sean-parker-man-behind-napster-facebook-and-chatroulette
  3. Sutton, Scott. “Former Facebook President Sean Parkers backs Nevada gun-control initiative with $250,000”. Las Vegas Sun. January 20, 2015. Accessed May 1, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20151118164228/http://lasvegas.suntimes.com/las-news/las-politics-government/7/104/76502/sean-parker-gun-control/
  4. Zakrewski, Cat. “Silicon Valley Moguls Push for Campaign Finance Reform”. TechCrunch. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/24/silicon-valley-moguls-push-for-campaign-finance-reform/
  5. The Guardian. “Facebook co-founder gives $100,000 to push to legalize cannabis in California.” The Guardian. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20151118164228/http://lasvegas.suntimes.com/las-news/las-politics-government/7/104/76502/sean-parker-gun-control/
  6. Winton, Kate. “Sean Parker and 4 Other Billionaires Back Winning California Gun Control Proposition”. Forbes. November 9, 2016. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2016/11/09/five-billionaires-donate-1-million-to-support-california-gun-control-ballot-proposition/#387a11ea14be
  7. Tankersley, Jim. “Tucked Into The Tax Bill, a Plan to Help Distressed America”. New York Times. January 29, 2018. Accessed May 1, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/business/tax-bill-economic-recovery-opportunity-zones.html

Connected Organizations

  1. Facebook (For-profit)
    Former President (2004-2005)
  2. FWD.us (Non-profit)
    Co-Founder
  3. Iconiq Capital (For-profit)
    Client
  4. Sean N. Parker Foundation (Non-profit)
    Founder and President
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