Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss - commonly known as "the Winklevoss twins" - were launched into the public eye in 2004, when they filed a lawsuit against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They are also known for being portrayed in the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network, which dramatised the story of Facebook's genesis.
But beyond the notoriety they gained for their claims that they were the true creators of Facebook, the twins are also born entrepreneurs. At the age of 13, they launched their own webpage design company, and in high school they started the rowing team, which continues to flourish in Greenwich, Connecticut. Their hard work paid off when in 2008, the twins made the US Olympic Rowing Team.
In early 2003, they, along with fellow Harvard classmate Divya Narendra, sought a better way to connect with fellow students at Harvard and other universities. The three conceived of a social network, initially called HarvardConnection and later renamed ConnectU. In late 2003, having already spent close to a year developing a sophisticated codebase, the twins and Narendra partnered with fellow Harvard classmate Mark Zuckerberg to help finish the source code and ready their social network for launch. What followed is the stuff of legend, as portrayed in The Social Network and reported and re-reported in the media: years of accusations, nearly a decade of litigation, and a settlement valued at north of $200 million. The Winklevoss twins have rarely spoken out to share their side of the story - until now. So what really happened?
In their fascinating keynote speeches, the Winklevoss twins share their side of the Facebook story, as well as their personal journey as lifelong entrepreneurs.