Talk:Niklas Zennström

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Regarding my addition of mention of malware issues in kazaa...[edit]

I understand the concerns over living person biographies, but this article read like a promo piece, with nothing mentioning anything negative that has come to light, of which there are many. I'm not against him - I don't see him as an evil monster, but as someone listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world recently (see article) including only the positive is a huge mistake. I did NOT add anything claiming he is currently involved in anything nasty, just a single short bit that Kazaa was both criticized for being stuffed with malware (stuffed to the gills, though I did not say as much since that would have been inappropriate - I figure people can follow the link and learn about it if they care), and also that they were under fire from the recording industry, which won lawsuits against them, and lost others. I think I will go back and remove the latter mentions... I had included them in hopes that I could show that they (Kazaa) were under fire from both sides, intending to imply it was not a cut-and-dried situation of an evil company just out to screw the user, but I think I just ended up making them sound bad (not my intention - just wanted a *beginning* of balance to emerge). Please edit as you see fit, of course, but PLEASE consider the importance of the history of his work with KaZaA and KaZaA's incredibly well documented malicious behavior toward their own users. There is plenty of stuff to be added about Skype's security through obfuscation etc. but my goal really is NOT to slam him and his companies, just to turn what seemed like a corporate promo piece into the vaguest beginnings of a balanced piece... a LONG way to go, please help rather than just revert my changes. I know it still needs a LOT of work, including my additions. Thank you! --Fitzhugh 05:04, 6 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I didnt see this before undoing your edits. I agree with what you say about that these things should be mentioned (I dont have any experience on the presense of malware/spyware in kazaa, since i never really used it that much), if they are indeed true. but they were given WAY too much focus. Perhaps a shorter mention of this further down the article would be better. And best would probably be if the issue was resolved on the Kazaa page first. I think I'll add something about it further down the page... LarsHolmberg 10:36, 2 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It was my understanding that the malware was introduced after the sale to Sharman Networks (sorry no source, only memory.) Of course there is still fact that the application in question was marketed as a tool to commit copyright infringement and that it was sold to the shady Sharman Networks. 83.183.22.96 (talk) 17:20, 10 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If that malware/spyware in kazaa emerged after Sharman Networks took it over, then it is more appropriate to put it in the Kazaa article. In Zennström's article, a "now defunct" attribution of Kazaa should suffice. ... said: Rursus (mbork³) 11:44, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Non-Jewish, Non-Asian Internet Geniuses[edit]

Zennstrom is breaking new ground. Should we start a new section? Or perhaps there aren't enough to warrant that? Perhaps a subsection? Profhum (talk) 13:20, 4 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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Requested edit[edit]

I am here to declare a COI with Niklas Zennström. I currently work for Atomico, the VC firm of which Niklas is the CEO, and I am just here to change some information which is factually inaccurate, and add additional information. I am not looking to change the language or style of the article, purely the information. I will be posting a draft of my changes below shortly. Thank you

Hi, can you please describe the specific changes between the proposal and the current article, and rationale for it? It is difficult to see those specific differences with a full draft copied below. I am marking this request as addressed; to re-open it, remove the "|A" in the {{request edit}} template above. SpencerT•C 23:25, 7 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Spencer, I've removed the "|A" from the above request, so hopefully this should now be reopened.
The changes between the current version and the proposal are as follows:
In the 5th paragraph of the "Career section" (Starting with "In 2009,...", I requested to change "Through Atomico they have invested in 50 companies on four continents" to "Through Atomico they have invested in over 200 companies on four continents." The rationale is that the previous proposal was no longer factually accurate.
In the same paragraph, I added "Currently,he sits on the boards of Lilium, Vay, Infarm, Rekki and H&M Group." The rationale is that this statement is factually accurate (as citations show), and gives a more complete picture of Niklas' career.
In the final paragraph of the career section, I changed "Zennström is president of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA), [...]" to "Zennström is Founder and former president of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA),[...]". This is because Niklas is no longer the EUTA president. (I also corrected the grammar later on in the sentence.
These are the only changes to the profile. Thank you for taking the time to go through them. TheoFraser1 (talk) 15:24, 8 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
 Partly done I have done the first and third changes. For the second one (boards), not all of them are listed in the provided references. Are there any third party sources available for this information? Additionally, please use the {{cite web}} or {{cite news}} template in references, including information such as publisher and access date. Best, SpencerT•C 00:18, 15 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Spencer, thanks for taking a look at this. Here are some links to act as evidence for all of Niklas' board seats:
Rekki: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07849223/officers
Lilium: https://investors.lilium.com/board-member/niklas-zennstrom
Vay: https://vay.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Vay-Factsheet.pdf + https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2021/12/14/robocar-startup-vay-plans-to-bring-remotely-driven-cars-to-hamburg/?sh=36abb608634c
H&M: https://theorg.com/org/hm/org-chart/niklas-zennstrom
Infarm: Niklas' is listed as a board member by TedXWarwick here: https://www.tedxwarwick.com/2023-legacies
Can you let me know if these links are sufficient?
Thank you! TheoFraser1 (talk) 17:45, 16 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Revised draft[edit]

Niklas Zennström
Zennström with Loic Le Meur in the background
Born (1966-02-16) 16 February 1966 (age 58)
Järfälla, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
EducationUppsala University (BSc, MSc)
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur and investor
SpouseCatherine Zennström

Niklas Zennström (Swedish: [ˈnɪ̌kːlas ˈsɛ̂nːstrœm] ⓘ; born 16 February 1966) is a Swedish entrepreneur and technology investor. Currently, Zennström is Founder and CEO of Atomico. He is also the co-founder of the charity organization Zennström Philanthropies.

Education[edit]

Zennström has dual degrees in Business Administration (BSc) and Engineering Physics (MSc) from Uppsala University.[1] He spent his final year at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

Zennström started his professional career in 1991 at the European telecom operator Tele2. He went on to serve in various business development roles including launching and being responsible for European Internet Service Provider business get2net and as CEO of the everyday.com portal.

In 2000, Zennström and Janus Friis co-founded Kazaa, the peer-to-peer file sharing application. Niklas served as CEO and the program became the world's most downloaded Internet software in 2003. After lawsuits were filed by members of the music and motion picture industry in the US, Kazaa was sold to Sharman Networks.

Zennström then founded and served as CEO at Joltid, a software company developing and marketing peer-to-peer solutions and traffic optimization technologies. Zennström also co-founded Altnet, the world's first secure peer-to-peer network promoting commercial content to consumers integrating promotion, distribution, and payment of digital content.

Zennström is best known for founding Skype, a telephony company based on peer-to-peer principles. In October 2005, Skype was acquired by eBay for €2.1 billion ($2.6 billion) plus the potential to earn further performance-based bonuses up to €1.2bn. Zennström was CEO from Skype's inception until September 2007. After the sale of Skype, Zennström went on in 2007 to launch Joost, an online video distribution service.

In 2009, Zennström was part of the investment consortium that bought Skype Technologies from eBay and re-joined the Skype board. Currently, Zennström runs Atomico. Based in London, the firm primarily invests in fast growing tech companies with the ability to transform their respective industries. Through Atomico they have invested in over 200 companies on four continents, including Supercell, Rovio, Last.fm, Fon, Rdio, Fab, Klarna, and Skype. [2] Currently,he sits on the boards of Lilium, Vay, Infarm, Rekki and H&M Group.[3] [4] [5]


In May 2011, Skype was purchased by Microsoft for $8.5 billion. It is reported that Zennström and Friis made approximately $1bn between them from the sale.[6]

In November 2014, Zennström was inducted into SUP46's Swedish Startup Hall of Fame.[7]

Zennström is Founder and former president of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA), a group of tech companies located in Europe. [8] [9] The EUTA focuses on and promotes Europe's tech industry.

Philanthropy[edit]

Together with his wife Catherine, he founded Zennström Philanthropies which funds and donates to causes such as climate change and social entrepreneurship.[10]

Honors and awards[edit]

Zennström was recognized by Time Magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2006, and has received numerous other awards for innovation and entrepreneurship.[11]

In 2006, he was voted Entrepreneur of the Year in the European Business Leaders Awards (EBLA).[12]

In October 2009, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, awarded Zennström the KTH Great Prize "for his outstanding entrepreneurial and technological skills".[13]

In September 2011, Zennström received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute.[14]

In February 2013, Zennström was awarded H. M. The King's Medal of 12th size with a bright blue ribbon for significant contributions to Swedish industry and society.[15]

In October 2013, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, IVA, awarded Zennström the gold medal for his "highly successful entrepreneurial achievements, creative innovation, high technical competence and outstanding leadership".[16]

Personal life[edit]

Zennström is married to Catherine Zennström. He is a keen yachtsman and he has built and raced yachts in the TP 52 .[17][18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "On donations: Niklas Zennström". Uppsala University. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Crunchbase: Atomico investments".
  3. ^ "The Org: H&M Group Board of Directors".
  4. ^ "Vay Board of Directors".
  5. ^ "Gov.UK: Rekki Ltd. People".
  6. ^ Malik, Om (9 May 2011). "Why Microsoft Is Buying Skype for $8.5 Billion". gigaom.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Niklas Zennström inducted into SUP46's Swedish Startup Hall of Fame as the startup hub celebrated its first year – Swedish Startup Space". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  8. ^ "EUTA president named among Politico 28".
  9. ^ "EUTA Current Leadership Team".
  10. ^ O'Hear, Steve (28 September 2018). "The Zennström manifesto". TechCrunch. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  11. ^ Gosling, James (8 May 2006). "The Skype Guys". Time. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  12. ^ Europe, CNBC (10 April 2007). "CNBC Europe Names the Top European Business Leaders for 2006". CNBC.
  13. ^ "KTH | the KTH Great Prize 2009 awarded to Niklas Zennström". Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Internet Entrepreneur Niklas Zennström Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oxford Internet Institute – Oxford Internet Institute".
  15. ^ "Kungen delade ut medaljer – se film här – Sveriges Kungahus". Kungahuset.se. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Sidan kunde inte hittas". Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  17. ^ Fretter, Helen (17 September 2019). "Ràn VII: On board the Stealth Bomber of the Fast 40+ class". Yachting World. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  18. ^ Korotaeva, Maria (9 May 2018). "Ran VII, the electric racing yacht from Skype billionaire Niklas Zennstrom". Charter World. Retrieved 20 July 2020.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Niklas Zennström.



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