| "I never had it in mind that I would start a company one | | | | involved with the growth of the business, Omidyar |
| day and it would really be successful. I have just been | | | | began charging small change to list an item on the site |
| motivated by working on interesting | | | | and took a small commission if the item was |
| technology."Growing UpOmidyar was born in Paris in | | | | bought.Building An EmpireOmidyar was surpised by his |
| 1967. He moved to Baltimore when his father began | | | | continued success and had to hire someone to open |
| his term of residence at Johns Hopkins. Omidyar | | | | the large number of cheques that were being sent in. |
| became captivated by computers while at high school | | | | He was also surprised that people were not simply |
| and skipped his gym classes in order to use it. Noticing | | | | using the site to buy and sell, but also as a meeting |
| the boy's keen interest, the principle gave him the job | | | | place where relationships were made over common |
| of creating a program that would produce catalog | | | | interests.After qutting his day job, Omidyar worked |
| cards for the library. He was paid $6 an hour.At Tufts | | | | along with Skoll to improve eBay. They felt that if a |
| University, Omidyar worked on a program to assist | | | | sturdy framework was in place, business would |
| Macintosh programmers with computer memory | | | | generate by itself. After just under two years of |
| problems. His request that users of this shareware file | | | | operation, eBay was one of the most popular internet |
| pay on the honour system did not bring many replies; | | | | sites, 150 users bidding on 794,000 items daily. And the |
| the cheques that should have been going to fund his | | | | company was now doubling every three months.At |
| years as a computer science undergraduate went | | | | such a rate of growth, Omidyar and Skoll sought |
| solely to paying for the post office box.In 1991, Omidyar | | | | venture capital assistance and a management team |
| went to work with three friends to create | | | | that would further move the company forward. |
| pen-computing programs. Though Pen computing was | | | | Benchmark Capital gave the partners a $4.5 million |
| a dismal failure, the e-commerce site (eShop) on the | | | | cheque for 22% of the company. Benchmark also |
| Web site that Omidyar introduced and operated | | | | found a CEO for eBay, Margaret Whitham, an |
| enticed Microsoft to buy the company.Starting The | | | | executive from Hasbro, and with her leadership, the |
| BusinessOmidyar went to work with General Magic, a | | | | business became a slick corporate entity. With a new |
| software company, in 1994 and made extra money | | | | look, better publicity, and greater organization, eBay |
| designing Web pages on the side. The girl he was | | | | went public on September 24, 1998. Within four months |
| dating at the time, Pamela Wesley, who would later | | | | of trading, the stock, which started at $18 per share, |
| become his wife, collected Pez dispensers and often | | | | was worth $300. Omidyar became a billionaire.Now |
| complained how difficult it was to meet others | | | | selling far more than just Pez dispensers, eBay has |
| passionate about her hobby on the internet. | | | | completely changed e-commerce. Despite increasing |
| Thoughtfully, Omidyar appended a small online auction | | | | competition, eBay continues to grow. Omidyar |
| to his personal website so Pamela would make | | | | recognized and seized the opportunity that essentially |
| contacts with other collectors as well as buy and | | | | fell into his lap and revolutionized internet use.Evan |
| sell.eBay (electronic Bay, as in the San Francisco Bay | | | | Carmichael is an entrepreneur and international |
| area), as it was when it first appeared in 1995, | | | | speaker. His webpage is among the top 10 Internet |
| operated merely as a forum for people to sell and bid | | | | sites globally for entrepreneurship and contains profiles |
| on various items. Omidyar did not back goods, mediate | | | | of famous entrepreneurs, lessons learned from |
| conflicts, or get involved if there were accusations of | | | | successful business owners, and expert opinions and |
| dishonesty or abuse of the system. Almost | | | | analysis. He also runs Entrepreneur Mastermind |
| immediately, collectors of Barbie dolls, Beanie babies | | | | Groups to give business owners important insights |
| and the like flocked to eBay.Three months after its | | | | from their peers into managing and growing a small |
| launch, Omidyar had to ask his friend Jeff Skoll, also a | | | | company. |
| programmer, for help. In order to cover the new costs | | | | |