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• Tom Anderson is the current president and co-founder, along with Chris DeWolfe, of the popular social networking website MySpace. Anderson is added as the default friend on all new MySpace accounts and consequently has over 250 million MySpace friend. Anderson and DeWolfe founded MySpace in 2003 and in 2005 it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch's company News Corp. for $580 million.CrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile

  News Corp. announced on April 23, 2009, that MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe will be stepping down from his position of CEO when his contract expires, though he will continue to serve on the board of MySpace China. Anderson, who is currently "in discussions" is expected to "assume a new role in the organization". There is no word yet on what "new role" Anderson will be assuming.CNN: MySpace shakeup: News Corp.'s morning-after plan (April 23, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Thomas Anderson
  2. Born: October 13, 1975CrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile
  3. Attended the University of California, BerkeleyCrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile
  4. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and EnglishCrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile
  5. Attended the University of California Los AngelesCrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile
  6. Graduated with a Master's Degree in film: critical studiesCrunchBase: Tom Anderson Profile
  7. Founded social networking website MySpace with Chris Dewolfe in 2003
  8. Tom is the default friend on all new MySpace accounts
  9. He has over 250 million MySpace friends
  10. In 2005, MySpace was purchased by Rupert Murdoch's company News Corp. for $580 million

• Teenage Hacker

  In 1985, at age fourteen, Anderson, using the name "Lord Flathead", hacked into a Chase Manhattan Bank computer system and then showed as many as 40 friends how to do it. Anderson's home was subsequently raided by the FBI in one of the largest FBI raids in California history. The FBI, who thought they were raiding a serious criminal organization was shocked to find that the group consisted only of high-schoolers led by high school freshman Tom Anderson. Because Anderson was a minor he was never charged with a crime, though his computer was confiscated and never returned.TechCrunch: MySpace Cofounder Tom Anderson Was A Real Life... (August 30, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  MySpace | Chris DeWolfe | Rupert Murdoch | News Corporation | University of California, Berkeley | University of California Los Angeles | Social Networking

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