Jordan Ritter didn’t grow up surrounded by tech; he grew up on a farm, tinkering with computers in total isolation. But that early curiosity led him to co-found Napster, the file-sharing service that transformed music distribution. As millions of users flooded the platform, Jordan was instrumental in keeping it alive through sleepless nights and nonstop chaos. The success was massive, the failure was brutal, but the lessons shaped everything he did next. In this episode, Jordan reveals to Ilana the real story behind Napster, the personal sacrifices of innovation, and the mindset required to build something that leaves a legacy.
Jordan Ritter is a serial entrepreneur, software architect, and angel investor, recognized for his work at Napster, the file-sharing service that reshaped music distribution and digital technology. Since then, he has launched and advised multiple startups in the tech industry.
In this episode, Ilana and Jordan will discuss:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:08) Growing Up on a Farm and Discovering Tech
(06:40) His Journey into Hacking and Computer Security
(12:37) Joining Napster and Disrupting the Music Industry
(17:55) Experiencing Napster’s Highs and Crushing Lows
(32:20) Why Jordan Decided to Leave Napster
(40:16) Reinventing and Building Companies with Value
(46:03) The Importance of Culture in Startups
(52:19) Navigating Interviews and Culture Alignment
(55:18) The Challenges of Starting a Business
(1:03:30) Lessons Learned and Giving Back
Jordan Ritter is a serial entrepreneur, software architect, angel investor, and co-founder of Napster, where he helped scale the platform to 60 million users. A four-time founder, he has built 20+ large-scale commercial and open-source products across 12 languages, developing systems used by millions. At Cloudmark, Servio, and Augment AI, Jordan built intuitive, scalable, and reliable platforms, and he now advises CoPilotKit on product strategy.
Connect with Jordan:
Jordan’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jordanritter
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