Pierre Omidyar
Honolulu, Hawaii
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Tufts University
United States
eBay
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eBay, PayPal, Self Made
$13,500,000,000
119
5
The Richest Person In Every State 2019
#120 Billionaires 2019
Pierre Omidyar founded online auction firm eBay in 1995 and now serves on the company's board.In 2002 eBay bought online payment company PayPal and spun it off in 2014. Omidyar currently owns 5% of eBay and 6% of Paypal.In 2004 he launched his philanthropic outlet Omidyar Network and put $1.4 billion into impact investments and nonprofits that tackle global problems.A resident of Hawaii, Omidyar co-owns resort properties in southern California and Mexico and is developing real estate in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He's also the founder of First Look Media, the parent company of online news site The Intercept and the entertainment company Topic Studios. He launched the Press Freedom Defense Fund in 2017 to financially support journalists and their sources in legal battles because of their reporting.
Born in France to Iranian parents, Omidyar moved to the U.S. with his family at age 6. He wrote code for his website, Auction Web, at age 28 and renamed it eBay after his first choice, Echo Bay, was already taken.
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