1. Pierre Omidyar Founder and CEO of eBay By Cameron Poe Founder and CEO of eBay By Cameron Poe

2. Birthplace - Pierre was born in Paris, France on june 21, 1967. - Pierre was born in Paris, France on june 21, 1967. - As a child, Pierre moved to maryland with his family - As a child, Pierre moved to maryland with his family at age six. at age six. His mother, Elahe Omidyar, had a doctorate in His mother, Elahe Omidyar, had a doctorate in - linguistics at sorbonne and is a well known academic. - His father was a surgeon.

3. Education and work His first real interest in computers began in the 9th grade. Pierre graduated from Tufts University in 1988 with a degree in computer science. With his degree, he went to work for a company that developed Macintosh software. The company was called Claris, where he helped write MacDraw. In 1991, Omidyar co-founded Ink Development, a pen based computer startup. Today it is called eShop.

4. Starting eBay When Pierre was 28, he sat down over a long holiday weekend and wrote the original computer code, for the auction site. The site was Launched labor day, September 4th, 1995. At first, Pierre wanted to call the site “echobay” but that had already been taken. He came up with the name “eBay” which became very popular. In a matter of days, eBay became worth millions.

5. Signs of Success The first item sold on eBay was a broken lazer pointer. It was sold for $14.83. Pierre was shocked that the bid went for that much, even though he knew it was broken. By 1996 the company grew large enough to hire the skills of a Stanford MBA in Jeffrey Skoll. and Meg Whitman, a Harvard graduate, soon followed as president and CEO. In 1997, benchmark capital invested 6.5 million in eBay’s future.

6. Facts Omidyar started eBay as a hobby, not knowing what that it would become the worlds largest trade community. eBay has 233 million registered users. eBay is a website where anyone can auction, sell, or buy new or used products. eBay is a website where anyone can auction, sell, or buy new or used products. Today, Omidyar is the 145th richest man in the world.

7. First Idea Omidyar was intrigued by the technical problem of establishing an online venue for direct person-to- person auction of collectible items. He created a simple prototype on his personal web page, and launched an online service called Auction Web as a sole proprietorship on Labor Day weekend in 1995. The business exploded as correspondents began to register trade goods of an unimaginable variety. Omidyar was intrigued by the technical problem of establishing an online venue for direct person-to- person auction of collectible items. He created a simple prototype on his personal web page, and launched an online service called Auction Web as a sole proprietorship on Labor Day weekend in 1995. The business exploded as correspondents began to register trade goods of an unimaginable variety.

8. - Pierre was born in Paris, France on june 21, - Pierre was born in Paris, France on june 21, 1967. 1967. - As a child, Pierre moved to maryland with his - As a child, Pierre moved to maryland with his Family at age six. Family at age six. Pierre graduated from Tufts University in 1988 Pierre graduated from Tufts University in 1988 with a degree in computer science. with a degree in computer science. The site was Launched labor day, September 4th, The site was Launched labor day, September 4th, 1995. 1995. In 1997, benchmark capital invested 6.5 million in In 1997, benchmark capital invested 6.5 million in eBay’s future. eBay’s future.