Trent Reznor did not found Nine Inch Nails.
Nine Inch Nails ( abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ ) is an American industrial rock band founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland , Ohio . Trent Reznor . As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist , Reznor is best known as the founder and principal songwriter of industrial rock project Nine Inch Nails . He and his wife , Mariqueen Maandig , are members of the post-industrial group How to Destroy Angels , alongside Reznor 's fellow composer Atticus Ross and long-time Nine Inch Nails graphic designer Rob Sheridan .