Foundation of eBay
eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb, a site dedicated to bringing buyers and sellers together in an honest and open marketplace.
1995
1996
First Employee Hired
Pierre Omidyar hired eBay’s first employee, Chris Agarpao, to help manage the growing business.
1997
Rebranding to eBay
AuctionWeb was officially rebranded as eBay, reflecting the global vision of the company.
1998
Public Offering
eBay went public on September 24, 1998, with its shares listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol EBAY.
1999
International Expansion
eBay began its international expansion by launching eBay sites in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
2000
Acquisition of Half.com
eBay acquired Half.com, a fixed-price media marketplace, to diversify its offerings beyond auctions.
2002
Acquisition of PayPal
eBay acquired PayPal, an online payment company, to streamline the payment process for its users.
2004
eBay Stores Launched
eBay introduced eBay Stores, allowing sellers to create their own branded storefronts on the platform.
2005
Acquisition of Skype
eBay acquired Skype, a voice-over-IP service, aiming to enhance communication between buyers and sellers.
2008
John Donahoe as CEO
John Donahoe succeeded Meg Whitman as CEO of eBay, focusing on improving the user experience and expanding mobile commerce.
2010
Sale of Skype
eBay sold a majority stake in Skype to a group of investors, retaining a minority share.
2012
Acquisition of GSI Commerce
eBay acquired GSI Commerce, a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services, to enhance its capabilities in online retail.
2014
PayPal Spin-Off Announced
eBay announced plans to spin off PayPal into a separate publicly traded company, which was completed in 2015.
2015
Devin Wenig as CEO
Devin Wenig became the CEO of eBay following the PayPal spin-off, focusing on revitalizing the core marketplace business.
2018
Managed Payments Introduction
eBay began rolling out its managed payments system, aiming to simplify the payment process and reduce costs for sellers.
2020
Adevinta Deal
eBay agreed to sell its classified ads business to Adevinta, a Norwegian company, in a deal valued at $9.2 billion.
2021
Jamie Iannone as CEO
Jamie Iannone was appointed CEO of eBay, focusing on technology-driven innovation and customer experience enhancements.
2022
Launch of Authenticity Guarantee
eBay launched the Authenticity Guarantee program for luxury items, providing third-party verification to ensure the authenticity of high-value goods.
2023
Sustainability Initiatives
eBay announced new sustainability initiatives, including a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.
2024
Expansion into NFTs
eBay expanded its marketplace to include Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), allowing users to buy and sell digital collectibles.
