As a world (in)famous technologist with the literal last name “Dotcom,” Kim Dotcom is a man whose swag is matched only by the damages sought against him by the U.S. government. His filesharing site Megaupload was long the ire of record companies and movie studios, who say it was a massive and sprawling repository of pirated content.
If the accusations are true, it was one of the more successful pirate operations in history. At its peak, Megaupload saw approximately 7 percent of internet traffic and grossed over $150 million in annual revenue. But Megaupload’s incredible run ended in the fall of 2012 when the FBI forcefully took down the site and sought Kim’s extradition from New Zealand to face a litany of criminal charges.