Philip Rosedale

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Philip Rosedale at the Web 2.0 Conference (2005)

Philip Rosedale (born 1969) is an American businessman, best known as the creator of the virtual world Second Life. Within the Second Life metaverse, his avatar is known as Philip Linden.

In 2008 Rosedale was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for Linden Lab’s creation of the Second Life online world.

1 Biography
2 Media
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Biography

Rosedale took an interest in computers, technology, and virtual reality from an early age. He started his own company selling database systems to small businesses at 17, and used the proceeds to fund his college education, ultimately received a bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of California at San Diego.

In 1996, Rosedale joined RealNetworks as chief technology officer after they bought his company, FreeVue. In 1999, he left RealNetworks to found Linden Lab (named after a local street in Hayes Valley), and created the Second Life metaverse.

In 2006, Rosedale and Linden Lab received WIRED’s Rave Award for Innovation in Business.

On March 14, 2008, Rosedale announced he will be stepping down as the CEO of Linden Lab^[1] (coincidentally the same date as his avatar was created).^[2]

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, "I'm not building a game. I'm building a new country."^[3]

[edit] Media

Business 2.0, How to Succeed in 2007, Philip Rosedale Founder and CEO, Linden Lab, Discover the Real-Life Take-Away in Virtual Economies
In 2007, Rosedale was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.