German-Finnish internet anti-hero Kim Dotcom is perhaps one of the most eccentric, and divisive, figures in tech history. A serial cybercriminal to some, a large-than-life legend to others. You either love him or you hate him. Either way, boy does he know how to generate headlines.
News broke this week that Dotcom is being extradited to the US to face criminal charges related to his defunct file-sharing service Megaupload. In 2012, US authorities accused Dotcom of conspiracy to commit racketeering, wire fraud, copyright infringement, and racketeering in relation to the website.
Since then, the multi-millionaire has been hiding out in New Zealand, living a life of opulence. Now his past has come back to bite him. He could face up to 55 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Kim Dotcom has described himself as an “internet freedom fighter” and claims he had no control over what users uploaded on his website. The tech founder has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. “Don’t worry I have a plan,” Dotcom posted on X this week, in response to the ruling.
Who is Kim Dotcom?
Born Kim Schmitz, the internet entrepreneur rose to fame as a teenage hacker in the 1990s, who flexed his skills by breaching the likes of NASA, the Pentagon, and Citibank. He became a self-proclaimed “tech millionaire” by the age of 20 and went on to found a number of online businesses.
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Dotcom’s most successful venture was Megaupload, which worked a bit like Dropbox or Google Drive do today. At its height, the site accounted for 4% of the world’s internet traffic. It became a global hub for sharing vast quantities of copyrighted material.
As he finally faces the music, let’s take this opportunity to look at five crazy moments from the life of Kim Dotcom.
A yacht and the Prince of Monaco
Kim Dotcom is notorious for his opulent lifestyle, throwing extravagant parties with Hollywood stars, supermodels, and political elites. During the 2000 Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, Dotcom chartered a 73-meter-long yacht and used it to host parties for guests such as Prince Rainier of Monaco.
In 2012, Dotcom’s wealth was estimated at about $200mn. His personal assets included dozens of luxury cars, jet skis, helicopters, a private jet, and a huge mansion with a giant pool shaped like a grand piano.
His wealth, and penchant for flaunting it, made him a highly visible and controversial figure. But for a computer geek who spent most of his time crunching code and playing video games by himself at home, it also made him a walking contradiction.
Guinness World Record
Kim Dotcom was once the world’s number-one-ranked Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 player out of more than 15 million online players. He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest multiplayer gaming session, lasting 36 hours and 15 minutes, set in 2013 while playing the first-person shooter.
Dotcom slipped to second place in the CoD rankings in 2012 following his arrest and subsequent four-week detention in a New Zealand prison. Turns out they don’t always have Xboxes in jails.
Hiding from the FBI
In 2012, helicopters, heavily-armed police, and anti-terrorist squads descended on Dotcom’s mansion in a Hollywood-style operation. The raid was part of an FBI-led effort to shut down Megaupload. Authorities seized assets included 18 luxury cars, works of art, and $175mn in cash.
During the raid, Dotcom — a doomsday prepper and conspiracy theorist — tried to evade capture by hiding out in a purpose-built safe room. Police managed to break in, where they found him sitting down with a shotgun by his side.
Music career
Throughout his legal battles with the US government over Megaupload, Kim Dotcom frequently taunted authorities on social media. He even released a rap video in which he depicted himself as a freedom fighter battling against a corrupt US government.
Alongside his many social media videos, Dotcom even released an album called Good Times in 2014. Megaupload’s theme song — featuring Sernena Williams, will.i.am, Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, Jamie Foxx, and others — has to be the most annoyingly catchy tune on the internet.
And then came this rather cringe video of “Precious,” a song written and performed by Dotcom and his then wife Mona about their kids. Yes, you heard that right, Dotcom was a family man. He has six children from three separate relationships.
Stint in politics
By this point, you’re probably aware that when it comes to Kim Dotcom, anything goes. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that the 2-meter-tall, 150-kg giant even had a stint in politics.
In 2014, Dotcom formed the Internet Party in New Zealand. His aim was to dethrone the current Prime Minister, John Key. He claimed to have “absolute proof” in the form of an email showing that the PM was involved in a plan to get Dotcom into New Zealand so he could be extradited to the US.
Turns out, the email was a fake. On election day, the Internet Party failed to gain any seats in parliament. But it was an effective attention-grabbing endeavor nonetheless — which pretty much sums up Dotcom’s entire life of flashy toys, crazy stunts, and social media theatrics.
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