What Happened To Tom Anderson From MySpace?

Remember Tom from MySpace? (It's okay, you can admit you are that old, I am too.) It's hard to forget that grainy pic of a guy in a white shirt sorta hunched forward, smiling back at the camera — he was automatically added to everyone's friends list when they signed up for MySpace back then. 

MySpace was around from 2003 to 2008, and was initially created by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe as a way to connect people with not just their friends and family, but musical artists. The site also allowed users to customize their profiles with different layouts, designs, and music, creating more of a sense of individuality. The top 8 was another big part of MySpace, encouraging people to put their best friends on their profile as a badge of honor (or to start some drama). MySpace surpassed Google by 2006 to become the most visited site on the web.

The website didn't come without its issues, however. A lot of parents and government bodies grew concerned with teens' safety on the website since MySpace allowed you to connect and interact with strangers. Sexual predators were a big concern, so MySpace partnered with Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp. to develop a national database of convicted sex offenders. Tom was still able to sell MySpace for $580 million, and retired in 2009 at just 39 years old. He will sometimes appear on social media here and there, posting on Instagram about his exotic trips or golf days with buddies or posting memes on X.

MySpace was taking over the internet in the early 2000s, catching the eye of investors like New Corporation which purchased MySpace for $580 million in 2005. Unfortunately, this sale marked the downfall of the social media giant. The website's design changed, features loaded slower, and spam became prevalent after MySpace's changed to an ad revenue model through a Google partnership. Between 2008 and 2010, MySpace was losing 1 million visitors each month. 

Facebook's arrival in 2009 basically sealed the deal for MySpace. The site exists now only as an archive — many profiles don't even fully load and embarrassing emo photos have been lost in time. With the iconic site all but gone, Tom has withdrawn to a life of quiet luxury. According to his social media bios, Anderson is focused on golf, surfing, photography, having fun with drones, and all around just "living the good life." His location on X is set to Oahu, Hawaii. In other words, Anderson is enjoying his retirement and doesn't seem to still be interested in developing social media apps.