Wayne Chang Explained

Wayne Chang
Birth Date:3 August 1983
Birth Place:Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality:American
Years Active:1991–present
Known For:Startups
Awards:Honorary PhD[1]
40 under 40
Website:chang.com

Wayne Chang (born August 3, 1983) is an American entrepreneur, angel investor, film producer, and philanthropist. He is best known for founding Crashlytics, a startup acquired by Twitter in 2013. He is also known for creating a filesharing network called i2hub, making various seed investments, and his lawsuit against the Winklevoss brothers.

Early life

Chang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and grew up extremely poor on a farm in rural Taiwan. He immigrated to the United States at age 6, still short of cash. He wrote his first software program on the Apple IIe at age 7. While attending a high school in Haverhill, Massachusetts, he was involved with Napster, the first peer-to-peer filesharing platform. In 2005, Newsweek profiled Chang for his abilities in technology.[2] [3]

Education

Chang attended University of Massachusetts Amherst for his undergraduate degree. As a student, he hacked into the computer systems and obtained the passwords of everyone on campus. After bypassing the encryption methods, the Office of Information Technology declined to press charges if Chang would share his methods. Chang also established i2hub, during his time at the university. To pursue his startup passions, he dropped out of college.[4]

In 2016, Chang was awarded an honorary doctorate by University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was also the featured Commencement Speaker for the 2016 graduating class.

Digits

Chang co-founded Digits with previous Crashlytics co-founder Jeff Seibert in 2018. Digits is developing advanced, real-time technology for businesses. In November 2019, Digits announced a $10.5 million Series A from Benchmark and 72 angels including Aaron Levie, Ali Rowghani, Anthony Noto, April Underwood, Brian Lee (entrepreneur), David Cancel, Dick Costolo, Jeff Orlowski, Jordan Fliegel, Justin Kan, Katie Jacobs Stanton, Katrina Lake, Kimber Lockhart, Michelle Dipp, Nat Friedman, and Sean Christie.[5] In April 2020 Digits announced it had raised $22 million Series B from GV and Benchmark.

In October 2020, Embroker "sought out startups across over 40 industries around the world to rank the fastest-growing companies that we believe will fundamentally transform our society." It ranked Digits #6 on its top 200 startups.[6]

Crashlytics

Chang co-founded Crashlytics, a mobile company building crash reporting for iOS and Android, with Jeff Seibert in 2011. Crashlytics raised $1 million from venture capitalists Flybridge Capital Partners and Baseline Ventures as well as individual angel investors David Chang, Lars Albright, Jennifer Lum, Peter Wernau, Roy Rodenstein, Chris Sheehan, Ty Danco, Joe Caruso, and others.[7] [8] [9] In April 2012, Crashlytics raised another $5 million from Flybridge Capital Partners and Baseline Ventures.[10]

Crashlytics has been installed on over 2.9 billion active devices and is the #1 most installed SDK for performance. Its Answers product became #1 in mobile analytics—beating out Google Analytics.[11]

In January 2013, Twitter acquired Crashlytics for over $100 million. Most of the package was in stock vesting over four years with an upfront payment of $38.2 million in common Twitter stock.[12]

In January 2017, Google acquired Crashlytics from Twitter.[13] [14] [15]

i2hub

Chang created i2hub in his dorm room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. According to Chang, he started i2hub with the idea that college students should have an avenue to interact with each other. He had started it in February 2003 for a month but shut it down due to its popularity. He then restarted it in March 2004, when he was better prepared for the traffic.[2]

Facebook also had just launched in February 2004, a month before i2hub. Both i2hub and Facebook were gaining attention from the press. In August 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Adam D'Angelo, and Sean Parker of Facebook launched a competing peer-to-peer file sharing service called Wirehog.[16] [17] Traction was low compared to i2hub, and Facebook ultimately shut it down.

As users flocked to the service, it attracted the attention of ConnectU and founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra. A partnership allegedly formed between i2hub and ConnectU. The partnership, called The Winklevoss Chang Group, jointly advertised their properties through bus advertisements as well as press releases. i2hub integrated its popular software with ConnectU's website, as part of the partnership. The team also jointly launched several projects and initiatives.[18] [19]

Due to legal pressure, on November 14, 2005, i2hub was shut down.[20] [21] [22]

Facebook, ConnectU, and Winklevoss lawsuits

On December 21, 2009, Wayne Chang and The i2hub Organization launched a lawsuit against ConnectU and its founders, seeking 50% of the settlement. The complaint says, "The Winklevosses and Howard Winklevoss filed [a] patent application, U.S. Patent Application No. 20060212395, on or around March 15, 2005, but did not list Chang as a co-inventor." It also states, "Through this litigation, Chang asserts his ownership interest in The Winklevoss Chang Group and ConnectU, including the settlement proceeds." Lee Gesmer of the firm Gesmer Updegrove posted the detailed 33-page complaint online.[23]

On May 13, 2011, it was reported that Judge Peter Lauriat made a ruling against the Winklevosses. Chang's case against them could proceed. The Winklevosses had argued that the court lacks jurisdiction because the settlement with Facebook has not been distributed and therefore Chang hasn't suffered any injury. Judge Lauriat wrote, "The flaw in this argument is that defendants appear to conflate loss of the settlement proceed with loss of rights. Chang alleges that he has received nothing in return for the substantial benefits he provided to ConnectU, including the value of his work, as well as i2hub's users and goodwill." Lauriat also wrote that, although Chang's claims to the settlement are "too speculative to confer standing, his claims with respect to an ownership in ConnectU are not. They constitute an injury separate and distinct from his possible share of the settlement proceeds. The court concludes that Chang has pled sufficient facts to confer standing with respect to his claims against the Winklevoss defendants."[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

ConnectU sued Facebook in early 2004.[30] Facebook countersued in regards to the team's Social Butterfly project, and named among the defendants ConnectU, Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, Divya Narendra, and Wayne Chang.[31] A settlement was reached where Facebook acquired ConnectU for 1,253,326 shares of Facebook stock and an additional $20 million in cash.[32] [33]

In 2014, Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Billings, going against the other judges on the state's Business Litigation Session bench, dismissed both Chang's "options claims" and "partnership claims". Chang's lawyer, Alan D. Rose Jr., said "we respectfully disagree with the decision and will appeal."[34] [35]

Other Startups

Besides founding his own startups, Chang has been involved in dozens of companies in different capacities including angel investors, board members, or advisors. These companies include JetSmarter, Draftkings, Gusto, Dropbox, SoFi, Planet Labs, AirHelp, LovePop, Muzik, OnSwipe, Triggerfox, Kite, Pistol Lake, Blispay, Homemade, Notarize, Reaction Housing, NS1, ValiMail, Stream, NextCaller, Adored, Slash Keyboard, SURKUS, Tablelist, Boomset, Opendoor, Marble Robotics, and Uplevel Security.

Limited Partner in Venture Funds

Chang is a Limited Partner in several funds. The funds include:

Films

Wicked Magic Productions

In 2017, Wayne Chang teamed up with Paul English (co-founder Kayak, sold to Priceline for ~$2 billion) to start Wicked Magic Productions. Their first movie together is Dear Dictator, a film starring Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Jason Biggs, Seth Green and Odeya Rush.[36]

Chasing Coral

Chang is also an Associate Producer for award-winning climate change documentary Chasing Coral, which won an award at Sundance Film Festival in 2017.[37] [38] Netflix announced it had acquired the film at the festival and it is now a Netflix Original. It debuted on Netflix in July 2017.[39] [40] [41] [42] Movie review site Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 100% rating.

Frame by Frame

Prior to Chasing Coral, Chang is also an Associate Producer for award-winning documentary Frame by Frame. It premiered at SXSW in 2015 and subsequently went on to win many awards. The Hollywood Reporter called Frame by Frame "a work of profound immediacy, in sync with the photographers' commitment and hope" [43] and BBC Culture proclaimed "the film features photographers passionate about telling stories of the true identity of Afghanistan – whether they are newsworthy or not."[44] In 2016, Time, Inc acquired the documentary. It has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Awards

40 under 40 by Boston Business Journal.[45]

Most Eligible Bachelor by The Improper Bostonian.[46]

Honorary doctorate (PhD) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[47]

Commencement Speaker for the Graduating Class of 2016 for the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53]

Named one of 30 Most Disruptive People in Tech by Boston Magazine.[54]

Nominated Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013 by New England Venture Capital Association.[55]

Nominated Angel of the Year in 2015 and in 2016 by New England Venture Capital Association.[56] [57]

Pop culture

In Spring 2001, The Boston Globe profiled Wayne Chang in "e-Files".[58]

In Spring 2005, Newsweek profiled Chang in their issue, "The College Vanguard: 15 Students You Don't Know... But Will".[3]

In April 2005, the press, including USA Today, The Washington Post and Boston Globe, reported that the Recording Industry Association of America was filing lawsuits against users of i2hub.[59] [60] [61]

In July 2005, Chang was featured in CBS Sunday Morning News segment called "Networth".[58]

In August 2005, Chang was profiled by Boston Globe's Business section, "Software wiz follows dream out of college".[62]

In October 2005, The Daily Free Press wrote an article in their business section, "Wayne's World".[2]

In November 2005, the press, including MSNBC, BBC News and Boston Business Journal reported that Wayne Chang shut down i2hub.[63] [64] [65]

In August 2009, Chang spoke at an entrepreneur panel for The National Association of Asian American Professionals.[66]

In October 2010, the film The Social Network was released. The film depicts the battle between ConnectU and Facebook, which included the settlement at the end of the film that is the subject matter of the Chang v. Winklevoss case.

On December 14, 2010, ABC News wrote an article reporting on The Winklevoss Chang Group dispute, "Man Says Twins Who Sued Facebook 'Backstabbed' Him, Sues for Settlement Money".[67]

On December 16, 2010, Time Magazine wrote an article on The Winklevoss Chang Group dispute, "Facebook Watch: Former Business Partner Sues the Winklevi".[68]

On December 31, 2010, The New York Times wrote a front-page article on the Facebook lawsuits. Chang was mentioned in the blog post.[69]

In January 2011, BusinessWire and TechCrunch reported that Chang invested in OnSwipe's $1M seed round, along with Spark Capital, SV Angel, Betaworks, Eniac Ventures, Morado Ventures, Dharmesh Shah, Jennifer Lum, and Roy Rodenstein.[70] [71] [72]

Notes and References

  1. News: Twitter Executive, Internet Entrepreneur Wayne Chang to be Commencement Speaker at UMass Amherst on May 6. 'UMASS Amherst News and Media Relations'.
  2. News: The Daily Free Press. Wayne's World. October 21, 2005. Anita Davis.
  3. News: Newsweek. The College Vanguard: 15 Students You Don't Know... But Will. https://web.archive.org/web/20050416032559/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7502379/site/newsweek/. dead. April 16, 2005.
  4. News: Wayne Chang . May 6, 2016 . Wayne Chang: Commencement Featured Speaker Address, 146th Commencement of the University of Massachusetts Amherst . UMASS .
  5. News: Perez . Sarah . Stealth fintech startup Digits raises $10.5 million Series A from Benchmark and others . TechCrunch . November 6, 2019.
  6. Web site: The Embroker 200 Top Startups . October 12, 2020 . Embroker.
  7. News: Crashlytics Raises $1 Million Led by Flybridge & Boston's Top Angels. October 13, 2011. BostInnovation. Gregory Gomer.
  8. News: Crashlytics, A Crash-Reporting Solution For Mobile Developers, Raises $1 Million. October 13, 2011. TechCrunch. Sarah Perez.
  9. News: Crashlytics details backers in recent $1M round. October 13, 2011. Mass High Tech. Rodney H. Brown.
  10. News: Crashlytics, A Startup For Crash Reporting on Mobile Apps, Raises $5M From Flybridge, Baseline. April 10, 2012. TechCrunch. Sarah Perez.
  11. Web site: Twitter Fabric now installed on 2 billion active devices. April 7, 2016. VentureBeat. July 30, 2017.
  12. News: Twitter's Purchase of Crashlytics & Bluefin Labs: Prices Confirmed Xconomy. October 4, 2013. Xconomy. July 30, 2017. en-US.
  13. Web site: Google acquires Fabric developer platform and team from Twitter TechCrunch. Constine. Josh. 18 January 2017 . July 30, 2017.
  14. Web site: Google has acquired most of Twitter's developer products, including Fabric and Crashlytics. Wagner. Kurt. January 18, 2017. Recode. July 30, 2017.
  15. Web site: Fabric is Joining Google. Fabric Blog. en-US. July 30, 2017.
  16. News: Martey Dodoo. Wirehog?. August 16, 2004. Martey Dodoo.
  17. News: Harvard Crimson. Zuckerberg Programs New Website. August 13, 2004. Alan J. Tabak.
  18. News: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Chang v. Winklevoss Complaint. January 18, 2010. Lee Gesmer.
  19. News: CNET News. Fresh legal woes for ConnectU founders. January 4, 2010. Caroline McCarthy.
  20. News: CNET News. Supercharged college P2P network closes. November 4, 2005. John Borland.
  21. News: Slyck. i2hub Shuts Down. November 15, 2005. Thomas Mennecke.
  22. News: All Business. File-Trading Network i2Hub Shuts Down. November 15, 2005. Antony Bruno.
  23. News: Mass Law Blog. The Road Goes on Forever, But the Lawsuits Never End: ConnectU, Facebook, Their Entourages. January 18, 2010. Lee Gesmer.
  24. News: Huffington Post. Wayne Chang's Suit Against Winklevoss Twins Can Proceed, Judge Rules. May 13, 2011. Bianca Bosker.
  25. News: The National Law Journal. May 13, 2011. Winklevoss Twins Loses Again in Court. Sheri Qualters.
  26. News: Winklevoss Twins Sued For Part Of Their Facebook Fortunes. Fox News. May 13, 2011.
  27. News: Developer Sues Winklevoss Twins, Everybody Cheers. AllFacebook. May 13, 2011. Nick O'Neill. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120108050044/http://www.allfacebook.com/developer-sues-winklevoss-twins-everybody-cheers-2011-05. January 8, 2012.
  28. News: PC Magazine. Winklevoss Twins Face Lawsuit Over Facebook Funds. May 13, 2011. Chloe Albanesius.
  29. News: Bloomberg L.P.. Winklevoss Twins Face Suit Over Failed Alliance, Judge Says. Sophia Pearson. May 13, 2011.
  30. News: The Harvard Crimson. Lawsuit Threatens To Close Facebook. September 13, 2004. Timothy J. McGinn.
  31. News: Justia. The Facebook, Inc. v. Connectu, LLC et al. March 9, 2007. California Northern District Court.
  32. News: Business Insider. Facebook Paid ConnectU Founders $65 Million Settlement. February 10, 2009. Dan Frommer.
  33. News: The New York Times. ConnectU's 'Secret' $65 Million Settlement With Facebook. February 10, 2009. Brad Stone.
  34. Web site: Winklevoss twins prevail on summary judgment in Facebook suit – Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. masslawyersweekly.com. January 13, 2015 . September 16, 2017.
  35. New England In-House. 13. 1. Brandon Gee. Winklevoss double cross. February 20, 2015. 2. September 16, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212164812/https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pageturnpro.com/Publications/201502/2399/62718/PDF/130692993820840000_neih2015.pdf. February 12, 2017.
  36. News: Tech Titans Wayne Chang & Paul English Launch Wicked Magic Film Shingle. Fleming. Mike Jr.. April 6, 2017. Deadline. July 29, 2017. en-US.
  37. News: Sundance 2017 Awards: 'Dina' & 'Chasing Coral' Are Big Doc Winners. FirstShowing.net. July 29, 2017. en.
  38. Web site: Chasing Coral Trailer: Sundance Winner IndieWire. Sharf. Zack. www.indiewire.com. June 8, 2017 . en. July 29, 2017.
  39. News: Netflix Acquires Environmental Documentary 'Chasing Coral'. Lincoln. Ross A.. January 21, 2017. Deadline. July 29, 2017. en-US.
  40. Web site: Netflix Acquires Worldwide Rights to Chasing Coral at Sundance. Netflix Media Center. en. July 29, 2017.
  41. News: Sundance: Netflix Buys Global-Warming Doc 'Chasing Coral' (EXCLUSIVE). Lang. Ramin Setoodeh, Brent. January 21, 2017. Variety. July 29, 2017. en-US.
  42. News: Sundance: Netflix Takes 'Chasing Coral' Doc About the World's Coral Reefs. The Hollywood Reporter. July 29, 2017. en.
  43. News: 'Frame by Frame': SXSW Review. The Hollywood Reporter. July 29, 2017. en.
  44. Web site: Frame by Frame: Unseen Afghanistan. July 29, 2017.
  45. Web site: 40 Under 40: Wayne Chang of Twitter. www.bizjournals.com. December 19, 2016.
  46. Web site: Great Catches Improper Bostonian. www.improper.com. December 19, 2016.
  47. News: College dropout Twitter exec to speak at school's graduation. The Big Story. en-US. December 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160421202107/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/94e2a3136b024b17a10541e76ba69db0/college-dropout-twitter-exec-speak-schools-graduation. April 21, 2016. dead.
  48. News: College dropout from Haverhill UMass keynote speaker. Eagle-Tribune. December 19, 2016.
  49. News: Twitter exec tells UMass Amherst grads to 'hack the system' - The Boston Globe. BostonGlobe.com. December 19, 2016.
  50. News: Twitter executive Wayne Chang tells UMass graduates to 'hack the system'. masslive.com. December 19, 2016.
  51. News: Twitter Executive Wayne Chang Addresses 5,500 Graduates at UMass Amherst Commencement (with video). Office of News & Media Relations UMass Amherst. December 19, 2016.
  52. News: UMass grads told to 'make your own rules'. Goldscheider. Eric. May 6, 2016.
  53. Web site: Inspirational Quotes From 2016 Commencement Speakers. www.msn.com. December 19, 2016.
  54. News: The Boston Tech 30. Boston Magazine. en-US. December 19, 2016.
  55. Web site: The Top Entrepreneurs and VC's in Boston: NEVCA Names Award Finalists. BostInno. December 19, 2016.
  56. News: Meet the 2016 NEVYs Nominees: Angel of the Year - New England Venture Capital Association. May 17, 2016. New England Venture Capital Association. en-US. December 19, 2016.
  57. News: And the NEVYs Nominees Are... Angel of the Year - New England Venture Capital Association. May 8, 2015. New England Venture Capital Association. en-US. December 19, 2016.
  58. Web site: Wayne LinkedIn.
  59. News: USA Today. College students face lawsuits on file sharing. Jefferson Graham. April 12, 2005.
  60. News: The Washington Post. Music Industry Sues Hundreds of File Sharers at Colleges. Frank Ahrens. April 13, 2005.
  61. News: Boston Globe. Music Suits Hit Use of Fast Network. https://archive.today/20130131204022/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/821029871.html?dids=821029871:821029871&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+13,+2005&author=Hiawatha+Bray,+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=MUSIC+SUITS+HIT+USE+OF+FAST+NETWORK&pqatl=google. dead. January 31, 2013. Hiawatha Bray. April 13, 2005.
  62. News: Boston Globe. Software wiz follows dream out of college. Erika Lovely. August 25, 2005.
  63. News: NBC News. University file-sharing network shuts down. November 16, 2005.
  64. News: BBC News. High-speed college network closes. November 15, 2005 .
  65. News: Boston Business Journal. I2Hub shuts down after lawsuit threat. November 16, 2005 .
  66. News: NAAAP. Entrepreneurial Spirit - Do you have it?. August 19, 2009.
  67. News: ABC News. Man Says Twins Who Sued Facebook 'Backstabbed' Him, Sues for Settlement Money. Ki Mae Heussner. December 14, 2010.
  68. News: Time Magazine. Facebook Watch: Former Business Partner Sues the Winklevi. December 16, 2010.
  69. News: New York Times. Winklevosses' Carry On Crusade Against Facebook. December 31, 2010. Miguel Heft.
  70. News: BusinessWire. OnSwipe Raises $1M for Insanely Simple Tablet Publishing Platform. January 13, 2011.
  71. News: TechCrunch. OnSwipe Raises, Like, A Million Dollars. Tsotsis. Alexia. Alexia Tsotsis. January 12, 2011.
  72. News: Onswipe. 9 Reasons Why You Need to Work At Onswipe.