Janus Friis
Danish co-founder of Skype and Kazaa
- Age
- 50 yrs
- Birthday in 233 days
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Janus Friis is a Danish entrepreneur who co-founded the file-sharing service Kazaa and the internet calling service Skype with Niklas Zennström. He later co-founded the music service Rdio and the delivery-robot company Starship Technologies.
Biography
Background
Friis left school at 16 and worked at a help desk for an internet provider in Denmark. He met Niklas Zennström at Tele2.
Kazaa and Skype
The pair launched Kazaa in 2001 and Skype in 2003, with software written by Estonian engineers including Jaan Tallinn. eBay bought Skype in 2005.
Microsoft deal
After investors including Friis bought back a stake in Skype, Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for $8.5 billion.
Later ventures
Friis and Zennström founded the video service Joost and the music-streaming service Rdio. With other Skype engineers Friis co-founded Starship Technologies, which makes sidewalk delivery robots.
Timeline
-
1976
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark
-
2001
Co-founds Kazaa
-
2003
Launches Skype
-
2005
eBay buys Skype
-
2010
Rdio launches
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2011
Microsoft buys Skype
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2014
Co-founds Starship Technologies
Did you know?
-
1
Skype’s name came from “Sky peer-to-peer”.
-
2
He never finished high school.
-
3
Starship’s robots deliver food on many university campuses.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Janus Friis?
Janus Friis is a Danish entrepreneur who co-founded the file-sharing service Kazaa and the internet calling service Skype with Niklas Zennström. He later co-founded the music service Rdio and the delivery-robot company Starship Technologies.
How old is Janus Friis?
Janus Friis is 50 years old, born on 26 June 1976 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Where is Janus Friis from?
Janus Friis was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.
What is Janus Friis known for?
Janus Friis is best known for Co-founding Kazaa, Skype, Joost, Rdio and Starship Technologies.
References
- Janus Friis — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Janus Friis — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Janus Friis (Q92771) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Janus Friis”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Janus Friis.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/janus-friis
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