PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Sean Parker Calls 'The Social Network' Fiction

 & Leslie Horn Reporter

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
Sean Parker

Although "The Social Network" hasn't been in theaters for several months, Napster founder and Facebook founding president Sean Parker recently gave his two cents on the flick, calling the plot a "complete work of fiction."

Parker, played by Justin Timberlake, is portrayed as hard-partying, manipulative, and money-hungry in the 2010 film. In "The Social Network," Parker's character woos Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with his fast life. He dates a Victoria's Secret model and burns through money at expensive clubs and restaurants, and at a party for Facebook's millionth member, he's arrested for cocaine possession.

"I kind of wish my life were that cool," he told author Paulo Coelho at the DLD 2011 media conference in Munich. "I'm a geek from Silicon Valley, and there are no Victoria's Secret models in Silicon Valley."

Parker praised the movie for its production value, originality, and "timely" feel and said that he "actually enjoyed watching it." He added that he was particularly disturbed by a scene at the end of the movie where his character writes a check to ousted Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, throws it in his face, and has security escort him out of the building.

Parker referred to the picture director David Fincher painted of him as "the character played by Justin Timberlake, who happens to have my name." He distanced himself from the depiction by calling the character a "morally reprehensible human being."

"The Social Network" has generated a lot of buzz this awards season. It nabbed three awards at last week's Golden Globes, for best drama, best director, and best screenplay. It's expected to fair well at the Oscars, too.

About Our Expert

Leslie Horn

Leslie Horn

Reporter

Leslie Horn joined the PCMag team as a news reporter in the fall of 2010. She covered a wide range of topics, from digital media to the latest Apple rumor. After graduating with a degree in Magazine Journalism from the University of Missouri, she wrote for Out & About, a travel guide in coastal Maine. One of her favorite reporting experiences was covering the 2008 Olympics from Beijing. She travels every chance she gets; a favorite trip was backpacking along the coast of Brazil. Though she was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Leslie embraces life as a New Yorker.

Read full bio