, ▁where ▁he ▁went ▁by ▁the ▁name ▁Patri ▁For w alter - F ried man . ▁He ▁graduated ▁from ▁Har vey ▁M ud d ▁College ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁and ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁Stan ford ▁University ▁to ▁obtain ▁his ▁master ' s ▁degree ▁in ▁computer ▁science . ▁He ▁also ▁holds ▁an ▁M BA ▁from ▁New ▁York ▁Institute ▁of ▁Technology ▁– ▁Ell is ▁College . ▁He ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁software ▁engineer ▁at ▁Google . ▁As ▁a ▁pok er ▁player , ▁he ▁c ashed ▁in ▁the ▁World ▁Series ▁of ▁P oker ▁four ▁times . ▁ ▁The ▁Se aste ading ▁Institute ▁ ▁Fried man ▁was ▁executive ▁director ▁of ▁the ▁Se aste ading ▁Institute , ▁founded ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 8 , ▁with ▁a ▁half - mill ion - d ollar ▁don ation ▁from ▁vent ure ▁capital ist ▁Peter ▁Th iel . ▁The ▁Institute ' s ▁mission ▁is ▁" to ▁establish ▁permanent , ▁autonom ous ▁ocean ▁communities ▁to ▁enable ▁experiment ation ▁and ▁innov ation ▁with ▁diverse ▁social , ▁political , ▁and ▁legal ▁systems ". ▁This ▁was ▁initially ▁a ▁part - time ▁project ▁— ▁one ▁day ▁a ▁week ▁while ▁working ▁as ▁a ▁Google ▁engineer ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁the ▁time ▁— ▁but ▁Fried man ▁left ▁Google ▁on ▁July ▁ 2 9 , ▁ 2 0 0 8 ▁to ▁spend ▁more ▁time ▁on ▁se aste ading . ▁He ▁and ▁partner ▁Wayne ▁Gram lich ▁hoped ▁to ▁float ▁the ▁first ▁prototype ▁se aste ad ▁in ▁the ▁San ▁Francisco ▁Bay ▁by ▁ 2 0 1 0 . ▁At ▁the