The Rise Of E-Smoke

Puff, puff, pass the e-cigarette. To the tune of about $2 billion in retails sales this year. That's a lot of smokeless vapor for an industry that only a few years ago looked like a fad. Now with substantial consumer adoption and brands and techies on the bandwagon, e-smoke might be the next big thing to blow.

Napster cofounder Sean Parker is part of a group that invested $75 million in NJOY, an electronic cigarette manufacturer. Also part of that deal is Founders Fund, a venture capital group started by PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, who ironically helped finance the anti-tobacco film "Thank You for Smoking."