Bob Parsons Proves That Ordinary Beginnings Don’t Limit Extraordinary Futures

Vietnam veteran and entrepreneur is candid about PTSD battle and achieving the American dream

CAPABLE OF DOING GREATNESS

“The main story in the book is about what human beings are capable of doing and what they are actually designed to do if they get the chance,” ASU President Michael Crow said — and that message sits at the heart of Bob Parsons’ remarkable journey.

At a fireside chat at Arizona State University’s MIX Center, the GoDaddy founder, Marine veteran and bestselling author shared how a kid from a challenging East Baltimore neighborhood, who grew up “having absolutely nothing,” went on to build three major companies and give away millions in philanthropy. His story reminds us that being capable of doing great things has nothing to do with where you start, and everything to do with what you choose to keep fighting for.

From East Baltimore to the Marines: A Grit-Forging Beginning

Parsons’ early life was tough — poor, chaotic, and full of obstacles. School didn’t interest him, and trouble seemed to find him regularly. But a visit to a Marine recruiter in 1968 changed his path.

“This guy looked like somebody polished his face,” Parsons recalled. After a conversation that made the Marines sound like a brotherhood built for challenge, he and a friend were offered a chance to enlist — but at just 17, he needed his mother’s permission.

Soon after, Parsons found himself in Vietnam in 1969, thrown into combat within hours. After a month of intense fighting, he was wounded and eventually sent to Okinawa for treatment. His desire to return to his unit speaks to the depth of the bonds formed in battle.

“I was preoccupied on getting back to my unit,” he said. “There is a bond that’s created by being in combat with another man or woman, another soul, that transcends much of what’s even written, or much of what we know about.”

He never made it back to Vietnam — and even tried to rejoin the Marines after discharge — but fate had a different mission waiting.

A New Path: Discovering What He Was Capable Of

Back home, Parsons worked labor jobs until a simple college advertisement caught his eye. Using his GI Bill, he went back to school and chose his major in a way only Bob Parsons would:

“I didn’t know I needed a major… I said, ‘Can I just select my own major?’… He said, ‘You can.’”

Accounting was first alphabetically, he liked math, and business sounded fine — so he chose it. Just like that.

After graduating, he taught himself computer programming in his basement. Crow described how Parsons immediately grasped complex programming concepts, a skill that helped him build Parsons Technology in 1984. The company boomed to 1,000 employees and $100 million a year. Ten years later, he sold it for $64 million.

Then came Joe Max Technologies — later renamed GoDaddy — which became the world’s largest domain registrar. When Parsons sold his majority stake, it was valued at $2.3 billion. He went on to build YAM Worldwide, expanding into real estate, sports, innovation and philanthropy.

Crow summed up Parsons’ success simply: “They don’t teach any of those things in school. I’m a big believer that everyone has massive ability and it’s repressed… All of us have this supercomputer between our ears.”

Healing and Coming Home — Truly Home

Despite his success, Parsons struggled for decades with PTSD from combat and childhood trauma.

GoDaddy’s Bob Parsons on his new book ‘Fire in the Hole!’

“It is something I don’t think we think about enough when we send everybody into combat,” he said. He explained how the war changed him deeply, and how he didn’t fully heal until 47 years later, when he underwent structured therapy — including psychedelic-assisted treatment — with the support of his wife, Renee.

“Renee was first to notice it… ‘I’ve never seen Bob look so happy.’”

After so many years, Parsons finally felt like he had come home.

What This Story Means for Us

Bob Parsons’ life is living proof that being capable of doing great things is not about perfect beginnings, natural advantages, or an easy path. It’s about refusing to quit. It’s about letting each setback sharpen you instead of stop you. It’s about discovering that the “supercomputer” in your mind is far more powerful than you ever imagined.

We all carry extraordinary potential — more than we know. Parsons’ story reminds us that no matter where we start, we can build a future we’re proud of if we keep believing in what we are capable of doing.

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