Benedict Townsend

Like any good reporter, I kick things off with a hard hitter. Why six seconds?

Like any good reporter, I kick things off with a hard hitter. Why six seconds?

Simplicity, the heart of any good idea. And Russ had a lot of those. You know, there's a lot of hype around tech founders, a lot of mythology. But before Vine was even a thing, Russ's portfolio of work was already intimidatingly impressive.

Simplicity, the heart of any good idea. And Russ had a lot of those. You know, there's a lot of hype around tech founders, a lot of mythology. But before Vine was even a thing, Russ's portfolio of work was already intimidatingly impressive.

For someone who would soon hit entrepreneurial megastardom, Russ's story probably doesn't start where you'd expect.

For someone who would soon hit entrepreneurial megastardom, Russ's story probably doesn't start where you'd expect.

Until the age of five, Russ was a child of communism, growing up in the USSR, in what is now Tajikistan. In 1989, a couple of years before the Soviet Union collapsed, his family joined thousands of others in a huge migration wave out of the country. But his family didn't just leave the USSR, they moved to the very heart of capitalism itself, New York City.

Until the age of five, Russ was a child of communism, growing up in the USSR, in what is now Tajikistan. In 1989, a couple of years before the Soviet Union collapsed, his family joined thousands of others in a huge migration wave out of the country. But his family didn't just leave the USSR, they moved to the very heart of capitalism itself, New York City.

But it wasn't Wall Street that captured young Russ's imagination.

But it wasn't Wall Street that captured young Russ's imagination.

When it came time to find a job, design was a natural fit for Russ. And it's maybe not what you'd expect from a tech founder. In a world of Bill Gates characters building computers and writing code in their family garage, Russ's more artistic leanings stood out. But friends sought him out for design work for their tech startups, and he was in the right place at the right time.

When it came time to find a job, design was a natural fit for Russ. And it's maybe not what you'd expect from a tech founder. In a world of Bill Gates characters building computers and writing code in their family garage, Russ's more artistic leanings stood out. But friends sought him out for design work for their tech startups, and he was in the right place at the right time.

It was 2009, right in the middle of the financial crisis, but the tech industry was surviving and thriving. Along the way, Russ picked up an important lesson. To have the freedom to properly pursue your own ideas the way you wanted, you needed to be your own boss. You needed to be a founder.

It was 2009, right in the middle of the financial crisis, but the tech industry was surviving and thriving. Along the way, Russ picked up an important lesson. To have the freedom to properly pursue your own ideas the way you wanted, you needed to be your own boss. You needed to be a founder.

Russ wanted creative control over his next project, but he needed partners. The first to join him was Dom Hoffman.

Russ wanted creative control over his next project, but he needed partners. The first to join him was Dom Hoffman.

Russ and Dom seem to have one of those friendships where it just feels like your brains are in sync, excited by the same questions, fascinated in solving the same problems.

Russ and Dom seem to have one of those friendships where it just feels like your brains are in sync, excited by the same questions, fascinated in solving the same problems.

Remember, social media in 2012 wasn't the moving feast of crisp, high-definition videos we have on our phones today. It was pretty much all photos, which, you know, if you're 3G held out, took a couple of seconds to actually come into focus. Videos, well, those were for desktop when you had decent Wi-Fi. And so the first seed of Vine began to sprout.

Remember, social media in 2012 wasn't the moving feast of crisp, high-definition videos we have on our phones today. It was pretty much all photos, which, you know, if you're 3G held out, took a couple of seconds to actually come into focus. Videos, well, those were for desktop when you had decent Wi-Fi. And so the first seed of Vine began to sprout.