Co-founding MySpace, the first dominant social network
Appears in 1 documentary
Chris DeWolfe stands as one of the most influential yet overlooked figures in internet history—the co-founder and CEO who built MySpace into the world’s dominant social network, only to watch it collapse under corporate mismanagement. His story embodies both the promise and perils of Silicon Valley entrepreneurship in the early 2000s.
In 2003, DeWolfe was working as a finance executive at eUniverse, a Santa Monica-based internet company, when he recognized the potential of social networking. Alongside programmer Tom Anderson, DeWolfe launched MySpace as a side project, initially targeting musicians and bands who needed a platform to share their music and connect with fans. The timing was perfect—Friendster, the early social networking pioneer, was struggling with technical problems and slow loading times.
DeWolfe’s business acumen proved crucial in MySpace’s meteoric rise. While Anderson became the technical face of the company (his smiling profile picture greeting every new user), DeWolfe focused on growth strategy and monetization. He understood that MySpace’s chaotic, customizable aesthetic—which critics derided as cluttered and unprofessional—was actually its greatest asset. Unlike the sterile uniformity that would later characterize Facebook, MySpace allowed users to express their individuality through HTML customization, music players, and glittering backgrounds.
By 2005, MySpace was adding 230,000 new users daily. The platform’s emphasis on music discovery and youth culture made it the unofficial headquarters of internet cool. Major record labels began courting MySpace as bands like Arctic Monkeys and Panic! At The Disco built massive followings on the platform. Under DeWolfe’s leadership, MySpace reached 100 million users and became the most visited website in America, surpassing even Google.
DeWolfe’s greatest triumph quickly became his greatest challenge when News Corporation’s Rupert Murdoch acquired MySpace for $580 million in July 2005. The acquisition represented a pivotal moment in media history—traditional media’s first major bet on social networking. Murdoch promised to maintain MySpace’s independence while providing resources for global expansion.
Initially, the partnership seemed successful. DeWolfe remained as CEO and continued driving user growth while News Corp’s deep pockets funded international expansion. However, tensions soon emerged over the platform’s direction. Murdoch’s executives, focused on maximizing short-term revenue, began stuffing MySpace with intrusive advertising and promotional content. The clean user experience that had fueled MySpace’s growth gave way to cluttered pages dominated by banner ads and pop-ups.
DeWolfe found himself caught between his vision for MySpace’s evolution and corporate pressure for immediate profits. As Facebook began its systematic expansion from college campuses to the general public, DeWolfe advocated for significant platform changes to compete with Zuckerberg’s cleaner, more organized approach. However, News Corp executives, viewing MySpace primarily as an advertising vehicle, resisted investments in fundamental redesigns.
DeWolfe’s departure from MySpace in 2009 marked the end of the platform’s relevance. By then, Facebook had surpassed MySpace in active users, and the writing was on the wall. Murdoch’s News Corp would eventually sell MySpace for just $35 million in 2011—a staggering 94% loss on their original investment.
Yet DeWolfe’s impact on digital culture extends far beyond MySpace’s ultimate failure. He proved that social networking could become a massive business, paving the way for Facebook, Twitter, and every platform that followed. His emphasis on user customization and creative expression influenced countless websites and apps. Most importantly, DeWolfe demonstrated that the internet could serve as a legitimate platform for artists and creators to build audiences and careers.
Today, as debates rage over social media’s impact on society, DeWolfe’s MySpace era seems almost quaint—a time when the biggest concern was whether someone would accept your friend request or which song would play on your profile. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the tension between innovation and monetization, creativity and corporate control, that continues to define Silicon Valley today.
The definitive account of DeWolfe's creation of MySpace and how corporate interference destroyed his social media empire.
Free with Audible trial. Essential listening for understanding DeWolfe's rise and the corporate forces that killed MySpace.
In 2006, MySpace was the most visited website in America — bigger than Google. Rupert Murdoch bought it for $580 million. He stuffed it with ads until users fled to Facebook. Five years later, he sold it for $35 million. A 94% loss. The man who killed MySpace was not Mark Zuckerberg. It was Rupert Murdoch.