Where is Tom Anderson? A look at what the MySpace co-founder and 'former 1st friend' is up to these days
MySpace won the hearts of all millennials when it was first introduced in 2003. The social media platform gained a huge following as it was unlike anything users had ever seen before. By allowing them to choose nicknames and aliases, the platform offered a wide range of options to attract its users. While the social networking site had a fan following of its own, one person who managed to make a mark was Tom Anderson. Anderson was the co-founder of the company, as well as, the first friend everyone made on the site. With a display picture that showed him smiling at the camera while wearing a white T-shirt, he managed to leave a mark on anyone who joined the platform.
Even though the site was inspired by Friendster, people were attracted to MySpace because of the unique things it had to offer. Over the years, the platform allowed Anderson to increase his wealth and make a career out of the creation. Ever since he was a young kid, Anderson was interested in the world of technology. At the age of just 13, Anderson managed to hack the computer system at Chase Manhattan Bank, as reported by Cheat Sheet. However, he did not get into any trouble as he was just a minor. Despite this, he did not put an end to his interest. Anderson studied English and Critical Film Studies in college, he went back to his tech roots in 2002.
In 2002, Anderson joined a company called XDrive as a product tester. There, he met Chris DeWolfe, and the two ventured out on their own after the company was shut down. While the pair managed to make a big name for the company, in 2005 they sold it to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation for $580 million. Everyone thought that the site would last longer, but the introduction of Facebook took away a lot of its users. People became attracted to Facebook, that was being the new platform for all the youngsters. Seeing how the number of users declined, it was only a matter of a couple of months, the company lost a lot of its audience.
Following this, Anderson had opened up about not liking his partnership with News Corp as he said, “We don’t own the site anymore. Before, I could do whatever I wanted. Now it takes more time to get people to agree on things. All the budget reviews and processes. That can be a pain," as reported by Cheat Sheet. He finally decided to retire and focus on himself. With an estimated net worth of $60 million, Anderson did not have a speak of worry on his back.
Looking at his Instagram, it seems like Anderson finally decided to find a new hobby. His bio reads, "Former 1st friend, enjoying retired life! Photography is my hobby. New mission 2 help others & engage!" Anderson also uses the same picture he once used for his MySpace account. His pictures show that Anderson had been traveling all over the world. Even though he hasn't posted in a long time, the pictures portray that he has been living free and has no regrets up his sleeves.