306: From Myspace To Jam City: Chris DeWolfe Breaks Down His 25 Years Of Experience As An Entrepreneur

Chris DeWolfe excels at creating massive user bases—a skill he has demonstrated with two companies you’ll likely recognize: Myspace and Jam City.

After DeWolfe launched the biggest social network of its time in 2003, it was only a matter of months before Myspace completely took off and attracted millions of users around the world. Only two years after the start of his company, DeWolfe sold the platform for $580 million. But he wasn’t done yet.

When DeWolfe asked himself ‘what’s next?’ he found himself drawn to the world of gaming. Not only was it easy to scale, but he also believed the current trends pointed toward an explosion in gaming. He wasn’t wrong. Today, Jam City is known for famous mobile games like Cookie Jam and Pop! and Panda, and it’s still going strong to keep up with the growing demand of casual gamers.

In this interview, DeWolfe discusses the hyper growth of his companies, how to stay focused when running such a behemoth of a company, and what it takes to build massive user bases.

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Key Takeaways

• How DeWolfe built the largest website in the world and the biggest social network of its time, Myspace
• The trends in pop culture and technology that led to the launch of Myspace in 2003
• A look into the rapid growth and eventual sale of Myspace in 2005 for $580 million
• How Myspace created a roadmap for companies like Spotify and YouTube
• The top three lessons DeWolfe learned from his journey with Myspace
• How DeWolfe figured out his next step into the world of mobile gaming
• Why Jam City targets an underserved audience for gamers
• The acquisition of Mindjolt
• How to be a great storyteller and create amazing games
• What’s exciting for DeWolfe in the future of the mobile gaming business
• What it takes to build large user bases
• Why DeWolfe recommends taking measured risks in the pursuit of innovation
• A sneak peek into Jam City’s latest upcoming mobile game