Home > Pierre Omidyar

28-year-old Omidyar started eBay in September 1995, as a part-time hobby - supposedly to help in his fiancée's PEZPEZ is the shortened name of PEZ Candy Inc. PEZ (or Pez is also the name of two of its product categories, namely pressed, dry candies, straight-edged and shaped like 3/8-inch- (1-cm. long bricks, and pocket mechanical dispensers for such candy. The name dispenser collection. Initially called AuctionWeb, it was later renamed after the site's domain name ebay.com (a shortening of Echo Bay, Omidyar's consulting firm). The service was free at first, but started charging in order to cover ISP costs.

In 1996 Jeff Skoll , a Stanford MBA, joined the company and by 1998 eBay had gone public, making Omidyar a billionaire. Also, in March 1998, Meg WhitmanMargaret C. Whitman also known as Meg Whitman ( August 4, 1956 ) has been the President and CEO of the online auction company eBay since March 1998. She is known as one of the most influential and successful American businesswomen of her time. She grew up was brought as President and CEO.

Omidyar and his wife Pam are well-known philanthropists who founded the Omidyar NetworkThe Omidyar Network was founded in June 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam in Redwood City, California. The Omidyar Network is intended to expand the investment scope of the Omidyar Foundation by funding ot just non-profit projects, but. They promote what has come to be called "venture philanthropy", in which foundations are expected to achieve quick results and financial independence. Perhaps one example of such, is Meetup. A website, Omidyar didn't found it himself but has later invested in and serves on its Board of Directors.