Pierre Omidyar Founder of eBay Date of Birth: 21.06.1967 Country: France

1. Pierre Omidyar: A Trailblazing Entrepreneur
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career in Technology
4. The Birth of eBay
5. The Explosion of eBay
6. Renaming to eBay
7. IPO and Billion-Dollar Fortune
8. Philanthropy and Social Impact
9. Recognition and Rankings

Pierre Omidyar: A Trailblazing Entrepreneur

Pierre Omidyar, the founder and chairman of the online auction giant eBay, is a Franco-American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and visionary.

Early Life and Education

Omidyar was born in Paris to Iranian immigrant parents. His mother, Elahé Mir-Djalali Omidyar, was a renowned linguist at the Sorbonne. His father studied medicine. The Omidyar family moved to the United States when Pierre was six. Growing up in Washington, D.C., Omidyar developed a keen interest in computers. He excelled in his studies and went on to study computer science at Tufts University.

Career in Technology

After graduating from Tufts in 1988, Omidyar joined the Macintosh Development Group at Apple. There, he helped develop the MacDraw software. In 1991, he founded Ink Development, which eventually evolved into the online store eShop.

The Birth of eBay

In 1995, Omidyar began developing the first version of an online auction. The prototype, Auction Web, was launched on September 4, 1995. This simple platform allowed direct interaction between buyers and sellers.

Omidyar initially hosted Auction Web on a website he had created to track the Ebola virus. The first item sold on the site was a broken laser pointer. The fact that someone was willing to pay for a damaged item astonished Omidyar.

The Explosion of eBay

As Auction Web gained traction, Omidyar received a percentage of each transaction. Eventually, the revenue from the site surpassed his salary, and he decided to focus on it full-time. In 1996, he signed a contract to sell airline tickets online. The site hosted 250,000 auctions by that time, and by early 1997, it reached 2 million auctions.

Renaming to eBay

Omidyar rebranded the site to eBay in 1997 and launched an aggressive marketing campaign. He had originally intended to name the site "EchoBay," but the domain name was taken.

IPO and Billion-Dollar Fortune

In September 1998, eBay successfully went public. Omidyar and his business partner, Jeffrey Skoll, instantly became billionaires. By July 2008, Omidyar's stake in eBay was worth $4.45 billion.

Philanthropy and Social Impact

Omidyar is a passionate philanthropist. In 2004, he co-founded Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment group, with his wife Pam. The organization supports innovative ventures that aim to create positive change in society, the economy, and politics. As of September 2012, Omidyar Network had invested over $270 million in various projects.

Recognition and Rankings

Pierre Omidyar has received numerous accolades for his achievements. As of September 2012, he was ranked 141st on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, 42nd on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, 5th on the Challenges list of richest French people, and 1st on the Challenges list of richest Iranians.