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Portrait of Pierre Omidyar.

Pierre Omidyar

Founder of eBay and one of the defining entrepreneurs of the early internet — then a contested patron of philanthropy and independent journalism.

eBay · E-commerce, internet marketplaces · est. 1995

Born in Paris in 1967 to Iranian immigrant parents; BS in computer science from Tufts (1988). Launched Auction Web on 4 September 1995, renamed eBay in 1997; the September 1998 IPO made him a billionaire. Founded the Omidyar Network (2004), signed the Giving Pledge (2010), and founded Honolulu Civil Beat (2010) and First Look Media (2013).

Notable achievements

  • Founded Auction Web (1995), renamed eBay (1997), a profitable internet marketplace from inception.
  • Took eBay public in September 1998, becoming a billionaire at 31.
  • Founded the Omidyar Network (2004), an early impact-investing vehicle.
  • Signed the Giving Pledge (2010).
  • Founded Honolulu Civil Beat (2010) and First Look Media (2013).

Find them online

Omidyar Network

Stories about Pierre Omidyar

Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, subject of a case study on internet markets and billionaire-funded journalism.
tech18 min read

Pierre Omidyar: eBay and the Billionaire Question

Pierre Omidyar built eBay into a profitable, durable internet marketplace and became a billionaire at 31 — then turned to philanthropy and a contested patronage of independent journalism. A sourced, critically neutral look at the clean first act and the unresolved second one.

Pierre Omidyar