Shawn Fanning was born on the 22nd November 1980, in Brockton, Massachusetts, USA, and is best known to the world for being a computer programmer who created Napster, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing internet service that emphasized sharing audio files encoded in MP3 format. He is also recognized as an entrepreneur and businessman. He has been active since 1998.
Have you ever wondered how rich is Shawn Fanning? According to estimates from sources, Shawn counts his net worth at the decent amount of $7.5 million. Obviously, most of his income is the result of his successful work as a programmer. Besides that, his fortune has been accumulated through many investments in a number of technology companies. Additionally to his success, Shawn has appeared in some commercials, movies and etc., which have also contributed to his fortune.
Shawn Fanning Net Worth $7.5 Million
Shawn Fanning was raised in a family with seven siblings, where money was always a major problem. His uncle, John Fanning, who was an internet and technology investor, spotted his potential and helped him to develop his talents, buying him his first computer while he was in sophomore year in high school, and during high school summer vacations, John’s company, NetGames, employed Shawn as an intern where he learned a lot about programming from kids who were studying computer science. Shawn became very interested in computer programming, and after graduation from high school, he enrolled at the Northeastern University, in order to expand his knowledge of programming.
While at the University, he developed Napster, which was then the first P2P file sharing systems, and its first version was released in 1999. In no time, students of the Northwestern University started using Napster, which only increased its popularity and worth. Shawn dropped-out of university, and transferred his headquarters from Hull, Massachusetts to San Mateo, California. He also hired a few people to help him further improve the quality of Napster. His net worth was building quickly.
With the success of Napster, Shawn decided to start another company, Snocap, which focused on developing software for other companies, but it went bankrupt a few years later. Fanning then focused on another company he started, Rupture, which was intended as a social network site for gamers, connecting mostly players of the popular game World Of Warcraft. After the initial success of the company, Shawn sold it to EA for $15 million, which increased his net worth to a large degree.
In 2009, he started another company, Path.com, which is a social network site, which enables photo sharing and messaging for mobile phones. However, Shawn didn`t stop there, as he founded Airtime.com, a live stream video sharing and communication website. His net worth was continuing to grow.
Thanks to his successful career in the industry, Fanning has earned recognitions and several accolades, including being named as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35 in 2002 by the MIT Technology Review. He has also appeared in a number of TV series and shows as a guest star, which have also added to his net worth. In 2003 he had a small role in the film “The Italian Job”, in which he played himself, and in 2008 he was featured in a commercial for Volkswagen.
When it comes to Shawn Fanning’s personal life, little is known in the media about it, except the fact that he was married to Jessica Wigsmoen, with whom he has a daughter, Scarlett. The couple is separated, and she claims that Shawn is denying child support.
