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the company from footing the bill for transactions involving Fanning's stock, Shawn asked her for advice on how to sell some of his own shares, and she gave him the name of a lawyer. During the next board call, Richardson mentioned that Shawn was using an outside attorney, just as she wanted Fanning to. Fanning seemed incredulous that his nephew had consulted Richardson instead of coming to him. "I find that unbeliev-
able—that he would ask you for help," Fanning said. Richardson, listen-
ing along with other Napster executives in the company conference room,
drew in her breath. "John," she said. "Fuck you."

The pair also argued over what stance to take against the record industry. Richardson wanted to keep them at arm's length, while seeming to be cooperative. Fanning didn't even want to pretend to cooperate.
"Fuck the record industry," he said during one meeting, according to
Richardson. During another fight, she took Fanning into the conference
room and told him he was making her sick to her stomach. She said she
was trying to do what was right for the company, including lining up the
right venture firm. "You know what you're worried about? John fucking
Fanning," she told him. The next day, he came in and gave her flowers.

Vice President Bill Bales said that he had tried and failed to get Fan-
ning to back away from trying to manage the firm. "John is an egotist,"
Bales said. "He's a wildcat." But Bales said that he didn't like what
Richardson was doing at the company, either, and that she handled Fan-
ning the wrong way. "She was becoming almost obstreperous. She didn't
use psychology," he said. Once, when Bales suggested that Richardson tell
Fanning she was sorry about something, she said, "I'm not going to apol-
ogize to him for anything," Bales recalled. "Maybe it was integrity. I
don't know."

Unfortunately, Bales contributed to the problem. Already averse to
taking direction, he argued with Richardson and went behind her back
repeatedly to complain to both of the other directors. Sick of the armed
standoff between Fanning and Richardson, at one point Bales told
Amram that one or the other had to go. "He didn't agree about that,"
Bales said. "He was like Switzerland. That could have been a mistake."

Bales and Fanning developed a back channel, frequently e-mailing
each other about a range of ideas, Napster and non-Napster, with
Richardson remaining oblivious. As his relationship with Fanning deep-

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