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the line, the blood pounding in his ears. “We just tried to convince him,” Shawn said. At last, Fanning succumbed. The deal closed, giving Hummer Winblad about 20 percent of Napster to Fanning’s 15 percent and Shawn’s 9 percent.

With Fanning’s simple scrawled signature, a feeling of immense relief flooded through Shawn. At last, he was free. His uncle was all but gone from his life. He could go back to coding. His company had an official valuation of $65 million. And a respected intellectual-property lawyer believed so strongly that Napster would win in court that he was staking his career on the prospect. “I was excited when Hank came and got involved and understood the legal side, which needed some attention,” Shawn said in his usual understatement. An IPO and immense riches seemed more likely than not.

HAPPIER THAN HE HAD BEEN in many months, Shawn didn’t have to wait long to celebrate his new status as a legitimate player in Silicon Valley. That very night, Ron Conway was holding one of his regular over-the-top charity-and-networking bashes at his home in Atherton, where the median house sells for north of $3 million. Shawn and Parker were on the three-hundred-person guest list, right there with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, and Sun cofounder Bill Joy. With Hummer Winblad’s vote of confidence, Shawn almost felt as if he belonged with the others drinking champagne and munching on scallops wrapped in pancetta. Almost, but not quite. “It was like a circus. I was very awkward going there. I had no idea what I was supposed to wear,” Shawn said. The charity auction was emceed by comedian Dana Carvey and benefited a host of good causes, including the Boys & Girls Clubs and the Red Herring Community Fund. The San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders raised spirits around the backyard swimming pool. Among the items for sale were Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Humvee, a tennis lesson from Pete Sampras, and a dinner with Andreessen. The highest bid of the night, $650,000 from a Network Appliance Inc. executive, went for a single round of golf with Tiger Woods. Napster’s Chris Phenner introduced Shawn to Andreessen, who asked how many users Napster had and