Janus friis net worth

1. Biography of Janus Friis
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career Beginnings
4. Creation of 'KaZaA' and 'FastTrack'
5. Founding of 'Skype' and Success
6. Continued Work and Latest Projects

Biography of Janus Friis

Janus Friis is a Danish entrepreneur and programmer, best known as the creator of the file-sharing application 'KaZaA' and one of the co-founders of the popular service 'Skype', which has become the most popular video communication application on the internet.

Early Life and Education

Janus Friis was born on June 26, 1976, in Copenhagen, Denmark. From a young age, he was considered a difficult child, often getting into trouble at school and showing limited interest in subjects outside of his circle of interests. He did not complete high school, believing that an academic career was not suited for him.

Career Beginnings

Instead of pursuing further education, Friis found a job at 'CyberCity', one of the largest internet providers in Denmark. It was during this time that he met Niklas Zennström, who later became his collaborator. Zennström hired Friis as the head of technical support at 'Tele2'. The two quickly became friends and shared a passion for working on interesting projects.

Creation of 'KaZaA' and 'FastTrack'

In the early 2000s, Friis and Zennström moved to a small apartment in Amsterdam and began working on the file-sharing service 'KaZaA'. The technology behind 'KaZaA' became the foundation for the 'FastTrack' file-sharing network. The success of the file-sharing technology led them to establish 'Joltid', a company focused on the development and support of file-sharing networks. They also founded 'Altnet', a company that sold music to users of the 'KaZaA' network.

Founding of 'Skype' and Success

In October 2003, the first versions of 'Skype' were released, attracting users with its user-friendly interface, fast performance, and wide range of features. The program offered not only instant messaging but also video calls, file sharing, and many other functions. After three successful years, 'Skype' caught the attention of other companies, and in 2005, it was sold to 'eBay' for $2.5 billion. Six years later, 'Microsoft Corporation' acquired the company for $8.5 billion.

Continued Work and Latest Projects

Following the sale of 'Skype', Friis and Zennström divided the money but did not retire from the business. They co-founded 'Joost', a service that allowed users to distribute shows and podcasts on the internet. Currently, Janus Friis resides in Denmark and continues to work in the internet industry. His most recent project, 'Vdio', was put on hold after a few months of operation due to not meeting user expectations.