Philip Rosedale (born September 29, 1968) is an American entrepreneur who founded Linden Lab, which develops and hosts the virtual world Second Life.
Philip Rosedale | |
---|---|
Born | [1] San Diego, California, United States | September 29, 1968
Alma mater | University of California, San Diego |
Occupation | CEO at High Fidelity, Inc. |
Known for | Founder of Linden Lab and High Fidelity, Inc. |
Rosedale was born in San Diego, California, in 1968.[1] He took an interest in computers, technology, and virtual reality from an early age.[1] He started his own company selling database systems to small businesses at 17 and used the proceeds to fund his college education[citation needed], ultimately earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and computer science from the University of California, San Diego.[1]
In 1995, Rosedale created an Internet video conferencing product (called "FreeVue"), which was later acquired by RealNetworks, where (in 1996) he went on to become vice president and chief technology officer.[2][3] A year later Rosedale left RealNetworks and founded Linden Lab, named after a street in Hayes Valley (a neighborhood in San Francisco). With the creation of Second Life, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of creating an Internet-scale virtual world.[2] In 2006, he and Linden Lab received WIRED's Rave Award for Innovation in Business.[4][5] On March 14, 2008, Rosedale announced he would be stepping down as the CEO of Linden Lab and assuming the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors.[6]
Rosedale had stated that his goal with Second Life was to demonstrate a viable model for a virtual economy or virtual society. In his own words: "We don't see this as a game. We see it as a platform that is, in many ways, better than the real world" (Google TechTalks, March 2006).[7]
In 2007, Philip Rosedale was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.[8]
In 2008, Linden Lab's Second Life was one of three products to win a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award in the category of "User Generated Content – Game Modification".[9]
In October 2009, Rosedale announced that he would be less involved in the development of Second Life, because he was focusing on a new project.[10] The announced project turned out to be a company named LoveMachine Inc, founded with Ryan Downe.[11]
In June 2010, he announced that he was back to the office as CEO of Linden Lab.[12] However, in October 2010, Rosedale announced he was leaving his position as interim CEO.[13]
In November 2011, Rosedale released a new project named Coffee and Power,[14] a site that Rosedale calls a "meta-company", that enables people to connect for small jobs and services.[15] On April 16, 2013, Coffee & Power posted to their company blog that they were going to stop work on Workclub, their mobile application and begin work on a new company named High Fidelity Inc.[16]
In January 2022, High Fidelity acquired an interest in Linden Research and Philip Rosedale rejoined to Second Life as a strategic advisor.[17]
Philip Rosedale is married to Yvette Rosedale. He lives in San Francisco with his four children.[18]