Facebook co-founder Sean Parker was also the co-founder of Napster. Parker helped create the pioneering music file-sharing service with programmer Shawn Fanning in 1999.
Napster allowed users to share MP3 music files directly over the internet. Its simple search-and-download system made digital music widely accessible and demonstrated how online distribution could challenge the traditional record industry. The service rapidly attracted millions of users.
Record companies and artists argued that Napster enabled widespread copyright infringement. Lawsuits, including a highly publicised dispute involving Metallica, eventually forced the original service to shut down in 2001. Even so, Napster changed the music business and helped prepare the way for later digital stores and streaming platforms.
Parker later became Facebook’s founding president after joining the company in 2004. That role often causes confusion: he did not co-found Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, but he became an important early executive and adviser. Parker also co-founded Plaxo and several later technology and civic-engagement ventures.