Fabian Thylmann is a German adult internet entrepeneur who has a net worth of $300 million. Fabian Thylmann earned his net worth as the founder and former CEO of adult website conglomerate Manwin which is now known as MindGeek.
Early Life and Career Launch: Fabian Thylmann was born in June 5, 1978 in Dusseldorf, Germany. He started programming at the age of 17. His first big success was a software called NATS (Next-generation Affiliate Tracking Software) that allowed advertisers to track when users clicked their affiliate ads so they could be paid a commission for the sale referral. It was revolutionary at the time and earned Fabian a windfall which he used to acquire adult properties.
In 2010 Thylmann paid $140 million for Pornhub.com and its related properties, including Brazzers. After the acquisition, Thylmann changed the company’s name from Mansef – which was a play on the last names of Pornhub’s founders, to Manwin.
In 2011, Manwin raised over $360 million from Clobeck Capital and proceeded to go on a shopping spree for adult properties.
Today MindGeek owns some of the largest adult websites in the world including Youporn.com, RedTube Brazzers, Pornhub.com and many more. Pornhub is the 10th most-visited site on the internet.
MindGeek is legally based in Luxembourg but operates primarily out of Canada. The company has over 1,400 employees around the world working for many different properties and subsidiaries. At his peak, Fabian Thylmann’s websites received more than 16 billion visits per month and earned over $400 million per year in revenue.
Arrest and Tax Evasion Charges: In December 2012, Fabian was arrested in Belgium and extradited to Germany amid allegations that he avoided paying taxes on the revenues from his adult empire. He denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the tax case but ultimately was forced to sell his stake in the company back to senior management for $100 million. The charges were dropped when he agreed to pay $5 million worth of back taxes and penalties.
Despite being arguably the most powerful person in the adult industry, Thylmann reportedly lives a very normal life with a wife and two kids. He is now an angel investor who operates out of Belgium and runs a start-up incubator.
| Net Worth: | $300 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Jun 5, 1978 (43 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Profession: | Angel investor, entrepreneur |
| Nationality: | German |