page_title: Bob Parsons
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Bob Parsons / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: The Evening Parade guest of honor, Bob Parsons, right, greets Marines following the parade at Marine Barracks Washington in Washington, D.C., May 16, 2014. The Evening Parades are held every Friday night during the summer months. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael C. Guinto/Released)
context_page_description: Robert Ralph "Bob" Parsons is an American entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist. In 1997, he founded the GoDaddy group of companies, including domain name registrar GoDaddy.com, reseller registrar Wild West Domains, and Blue Razor Domains. In July 2011, Parsons sold approximately 70 percent of GoDaddy to a private equity consortium and resigned his position as CEO. In June 2014, he stepped down from his position as Executive Chairman and served on the board until 2018.
  Parsons is the founder and CEO of YAM Worldwide, Inc., which is home to his entrepreneurial ventures in the fields of powersports, golf, real estate, and marketing.
  In 2012, Parsons and his wife Renee founded The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, which provides funding, primarily in the greater Phoenix area, to nonprofit organizations. In December 2013, they joined The Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett that requires signators to commit at least half of their fortunes to charity.
context_section_description: Parsons was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His family lived in Highlandtown and struggled financially as both of his parents were hard-core gamblers. His mother was a homemaker while his father worked as a furniture salesman for Montgomery Ward. Parsons has said about those days, "I've earned everything I've ever received. Very little was given to me. I've been working as long as I can remember. Whether it was delivering or selling newspapers, pumping gas, working in construction or in a factory, I've always been making my own money."
  After nearly flunking out of high school, Parsons enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was assigned to the 26th Marine Regiment, which was attached to and operated as part of the 1st Marine Division. In 1969, he served as a rifleman in the Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, during a tour of duty in Vietnam, in the Quảng Nam Province.
  He was wounded in action, medically evacuated, and spent two months at a naval hospital recovering from his wounds. As a result of his service and injury, he earned the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and the Purple Heart.
caption: Evening Parade with Parsons as guest of honor in 2014
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "The host, Lt. Gen. Glenn M. Walters, and the guest of honor, Mr. Bob Parsons, attend the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington, Washington D.C., May 16, 2014. The Evening Parades are held every Friday night during the summer months. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael C. Guinto/ Released)", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark II", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 6.6 (Macintosh)", "Image DateTime": "2014:05:20 09:08:39", "Image Artist": "Cpl. Michael Guinto", "Image ExifOffset": "14490", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1180", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "13171", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/250", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Shutter Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "1600", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:05:16 21:00:52", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:05:16 21:00:52", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "995723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "1485427/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "2", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "253/50", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Spot", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "90", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "26", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "26", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "5616000/1459", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1872000/479", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "3421604773", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[70, 200, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM"}