Fact Check: What happened to Tom Anderson from MySpace? Viral post about co-founder's disappearance after selling his social media company debunked

Tom Anderson gained recognition as the creator of the social networking platform, MySpace. While Anderson sold the company for $580 million to News Corp in 2005 and exited as the president in 2009, he has been in touch with the public through social media.

However, a few tweets shared by Divine Manhood on May 27, 2024, speculated about what he was exactly doing after leaving the company. It started by alleging that Anderson "bizarrely vanished" and was "completely silent" after appearing for a conversation with Tai Lopez in 2019.

Meanwhile, the initial claim made by the tweet about Anderson's disappearance has been revealed to be false. Reportedly, he has been traveling, pursuing his passion as a travel photographer, and previously even served as an advisor to a company that assisted in designing the Facebook app.

In between all these, he has preferred to stay away from the spotlight compared to his early days in MySpace. He addressed his interest in photography while speaking to Architectural Digest in 2017, saying that he got interested in it while attending the desert event Burning Man in 2011. He stated that he clicked a few pictures that were of good quality. Further adding:

"I like to photograph amazing scenes in nature – jaw dropping moments that are hard to believe they are even real."

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Divine Manhood's tweet discussed everything about Tom Anderson from the time when he formed MySpace

The tweets shared by Divine Manhood last month started with the formation of MySpace by Tom Anderson and how it accumulated a huge fanbase in a short period. It stated how the company was sold to News Corp since Tom was allegedly "frustrated" with frequent meetings and the inability of anyone to come to a decision.

The tweets added a video of Tom's interview where he explained his definition of retirement. He said:

"I'll never say never 'never' because, more than anything, I like the idea that anything can happen. I don't know exactly where my life will lead. Adventure and the unknown as always been appealing to me."

The thread continued by saying that Tom Anderson soon developed an interest in photography and pursued the same for a few years. It stated that his pictures were also shared on Instagram but he disappeared previously in 2018.

The tweets then shifted their focus from Tom's whereabouts, stating that anyone should retire from "work you do for money". The post read:

"Dumb meetings & indecision aren't worth it. It forced Tom to walk away from corporate life. Tom likes to build stuff and explore his creative passions. It's hard to make progress when you've got a corporate giant molding you for their exploitation and benefit."

The thread additionally praised Tom Anderson for not misusing MySpace and it was a platform that was a "net-positive for society." The post creator mentioned in the end:

"Final Thought. Tom is badass. Stop doing your stuff you don't give a f**k about and build something that feels like play. Then disappear if you make it big and hold on to your privacy."

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Notably, the San Diego, California native hasn't disappeared but continues to share different posts on his social media platforms. His most recent post was on Instagram, which was shared on April 26, 2024. In the video, Anderson can be seen playing golf with his friends.