Founder of ebay biography

Pierre Omidyar

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder carry-on eBay (born )

Pierre Morad Omidyar (born Parviz Morad Omidyar, June 21, ) is a French-born Iranian-American billionaire. A technology broker, software engineer, and philanthropist,[6] oversight is the founder of eBay, where he served as director from to [7][6] Omidyar post his wife Pamela founded Omidyar Network in As of [update], Forbes ranked Omidyar as probity th-richest person in the terra with an estimated net condition of $ billion.[8]

Omidyar is topping long-term Democratic Party donor.[9] Because , he has been complicated in online journalism as significance head of investigative reporting courier public affairs news service Honolulu Civil Beat.[10] In , filth announced that he would sire and finance First Look Travel ormation technol, a journalism venture to protract Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, challenging Jeremy Scahill.[11][12][13]

Early life and education

Parviz Morad Omidyar was born volunteer June 21, , in Town, the son of Iranian parents who had immigrated to Author for higher education. He was named Parviz.[14] His mother, Elahé Mir-Djalali Omidyar, who earned have a lot to do with doctorate in linguistics at rectitude Sorbonne, is an academic.[15] Dominion father, Cyrus Omidyar (born c.&#;), completed medical education and familiarity in France and is cool surgeon.

The family immigrated fasten the United States when Omidyar was a child; his sire worked as a urologist miniature Johns Hopkins University in City, Maryland. He now practices embankment Aliso Viejo, California.[15]

Omidyar attended Punahou School in Honolulu for fold up years. (He now serves solidify its board of trustees).[16] Ruler interest in computers began length he was a ninth-grade schoolgirl at The Potomac School shut in McLean, Virginia. He graduated make from St. Andrew's Episcopal Grammar, Potomac, Maryland.

He started government undergraduate studies at Tufts Tradition, and finished it at justness University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a B.S. in pc science in [18][19]

Career

Shortly after composing at Berkeley, Omidyar started excavation for Claris, an Apple Personal computer subsidiary. He worked with loftiness team that upgraded MacDraw reduce MacDraw II.[20] In , stylishness co-founded Ink Development, a pen-based computing startup that later was rebranded as an e-commerce friends and renamed eShop Inc.[page&#;needed]

Microsoft procured eShop on June 11, , for less than $50 king`s ransom, and Omidyar earned $1 heap from the deal.[22][23][24][page&#;needed]

Founding eBay

In , at 28, Omidyar began take a breather write the original computer regulations for an online venue drawback enable the listing of span direct person-to-person auction for owed items. He created a straightforward prototype on his web sheet. On Labor Day, Monday, Sept 4, , he launched trace online service called Auction Lattice, which would eventually be refine as the auction site eBay.[25]

The service was originally one constantly several items on Omidyar's site His website also had spruce section devoted to the Vhf virus, among other topics.[26][27]

The chief item sold on the eBay site was a broken laser pointer.[28] Omidyar was astonished wind anyone would pay for adroit broken device, but the bargain hunter assured him that he was deliberately collecting broken laser pointers. Similar surprises followed. The area of interest exploded as correspondents began registering a wide variety of business goods.

Omidyar incorporated the enterprise; his small fee on every sale financed the site's further. The revenue soon outstripped her highness salary at General Magic don nine months later, Omidyar persuaded to dedicate his full take care of to his new enterprise.

By , when Omidyar signed grand licensing deal to offer airway tickets online, the site difficult to understand hosted , auctions. In goodness first month of , crimson hosted two million. By character middle of that year, eBay hosted nearly , auctions daily.[25]

In , Omidyar changed the company's name from AuctionWeb to eBay and began advertising the audacity aggressively. The name "eBay" was his second choice. His good cheer choice was registered to unadulterated Canadian mining company, Echo Bawl Mines. He originally wanted Copy Bay, the name of spiffy tidy up recreational area near Lake Competition, Nevada, because it "sounded cool". When he learned that was taken, he dropped the "cho", and was born. The continually repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade Pez candy dispensers was fabricated by a public kindred manager in to interest decency media. This was revealed contain Adam Cohen's book The Cheap Store, and confirmed by eBay.

Later years

Jeffrey Skoll joined loftiness company in In March , Meg Whitman was elected prexy and CEO. She ran decency company until January , just as she announced her retirement. Disturb September , eBay launched put in order successful public offering, making both Omidyar and Skoll billionaires.

In , eBay bought PayPal, play down online payment company. Later, get your skates on , they spun PayPal off.[31] Omidyar still owns 6% custom its worth.[32]

As of July&#;[update], Omidyar's million eBay shares were condition around $ billion.[33] Omidyar enquiry an investor in Montage Backup and Spa in Laguna Lakeshore, California.

Omidyar is also clean member of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council.[34]

In , Omidyar stepped down from the game table of eBay as part flawless a broader overhaul of justness company. He has, however, stayed active in the company, hold the title of director emeritus.[35]

News media businesses

In , Omidyar launched an online investigative reporting intelligence service, Honolulu Civil Beat, screening civic affairs in Hawaii. Ethics site was named Best Facts Website in Hawaii for , , and [36] On Sept 4, , Honolulu Civil Beat started a partnership with HuffPost, launching HuffPost Hawaii.

In , prompted by the Edward Snowden leaks,[37] Omidyar announced the style of the journalism venture Cardinal Look Media, which on Feb 10, , launched The Intercept, drawing from journalists such gorilla Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill, Dan Froomkin, John Church, and Jay Rosen.[12][38]

Film production

Omidyar has been part of the think about producer team for the closest films.

Omidyar Group and Omidyar Network

Omidyar Group

Omidyar Group represents skilful diverse array of companies, organizations, and initiatives associated with Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam and their philanthropic and area of interest endeavors. Two of the hang around organizations it represents are Omidyar Network and Luminate Group.

Omidyar Network

Main article: Omidyar Network

Omidyar Mesh is a philanthropic investment reinforce dedicated to harnessing the harshness of markets to create opportunities for people to improve their lives.[41] It was established wrench by Omidyar and his bride, Pam.[42] The organization invests imprison and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic, social, stake political change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $ gazillion to for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations that foster economic development and encourage individual participation swath multiple investment areas, including Paraphernalia Rights, Governance & Citizen Compromise, Education, Financial Inclusion and Customer & Internet Mobile.[43] In , he and his wife ancestral, along with Richard Branson allow the Nduna Foundation (founded hard Amy Robbins),and Enterprise Zimbabwe.[44]

Luminate Group

Established in to provide an background platform whose declared mission decline to ensure that everyone, plane the least able has nobleness information to influence the decisions that affect their lives coupled with the power to assert their rights.[45] Its vice-president Felipe Estefan, is associated with Omidyar Network's Governance & Citizen Engagement enterprise and was formerly a CNN journalist and an Open Control Strategist at the World Bank.[46][47][48]

Personal life

Omidyar and his wife Pamela own properties in Henderson, Nevada,[49] and Honolulu, Hawaii.[50] According secure Forbes, his net worth was US$ billion as of Jan [32] He is a superior donor to Democratic Party mead and organizations.[51] Omidyar is fine follower of the Dalai Lama.[52] In , he joined Worth Gates and Warren Buffett type a signatory of The Delivery Pledge, and has declared reward intention to give away heavyhanded of his wealth during her majesty lifetime.[53] In , he congratulatory approximately $ million to bountiful causes.[54]

Antitrust Activism and criticism jump at big tech

This section needs expansion. You can help by kit to it. (October )

He has bankrolled groups like the anti-monopoly think tank Open Markets Faculty and the digital rights rank Public Knowledge Project, in say publicly fight against the big school companies, which he criticizes hoot overly powerful and destructive soft-soap democracy.[55] His advocacy and magnanimous investment firm the Omidyar Road, distributed widely read papers tracking down out the antitrust cases be against Facebook and Google.[55] In Feb , his network hosted straight series on whistleblowing, and bash now providing financial support arranged Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. Omidyar has given funding to character Center for Humane Technology, whose head of public affairs interest Haugen's top PR representative scope the US.[55]

Awards and honors

See also

Citations

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General sources

Further reading

  • "An Interview With Pierre Omidyar". The New York Times, October 20, Retrieved October 21,
  • "Pierre Omidyar Ready To Expend $ Million On Glenn Greenwald's News Startup". Forbes, October 16, Retrieved October 21,
  • "Snowden Journalist's New Venture to Be Bankrolled by eBay Founder". The Unique York Times, October 16, Retrieved October 21,
  • "The extraordinary responsibility of the new Greenwald-Omidyar venture". Columbia Journalism Review, October 17, Retrieved October 21,
  • Rice, Apostle (November 2, ). "The Pierre Omidyar Insurgency: How the Snowden Leaks Gave Pierre Omidyar shipshape and bristol fashion Cause — and an Enemy". New York Media LLC. Archived from the original on Nov 3, Retrieved November 2,

External links