Tom Anderson
His friendly face was the first welcome for a generation discovering social media, presiding over Myspace's chaotic, creative digital revolution.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American internet entrepreneur·Birthday: November 8·Generation X
Biography
Before algorithms dictated our connections, there was Tom. Tom Anderson didn't just help build Myspace; he became its embodied spirit. Co-founding the site in 2003, he understood that the internet was moving toward personal expression. Myspace became a digital wild west where users could customize their pages with glittering graphics, auto-play music, and a list of 'Top Friends.' Anderson's genius touch was making himself, as 'Tom,' the default first friend for every new user. That simple gesture turned a platform into a community, with a seemingly approachable founder at its center. As president, he oversaw Myspace's meteoric rise, a period where it fundamentally reshaped music discovery, teen culture, and online identity. While the site eventually ceded ground to competitors, its cultural impact was profound. Anderson stepped back from the company after its sale, evolving from a hands-on CEO into a photographer and investor, forever remembered as the friendly guide to a newly social web.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Tom was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tom Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Tom's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Myspace in 2003, which rapidly became the world's largest social networking site in the mid-2000s.
- His profile was automatically set as the first 'friend' for all new users, a novel feature that personalized the platform's growth.
- As president, oversaw Myspace's acquisition by News Corp for $580 million in 2005.
- Helped pioneer the integration of music and social media, allowing bands to directly connect with fans.
Did You Know?
He was a early member of the hacker group 'The Cult of the Dead Cow' in the 1990s.
After leaving Myspace, he became a dedicated travel and landscape photographer, sharing his work online.
Anderson holds a master's degree in film from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He sold his final shares in Myspace in 2009, years before the platform's major decline.
“We gave people a blank profile and said, 'Make it yours.”
