Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar is making good on the promise he made when he first became, as he called it, "ridiculously rich," to give away most of his wealth in his lifetime. He reiterated that intention by signing the Gates and Buffett Giving Pledge last year. He also continues to gift eBay shares to the Omidyar Network, his philanthropic investment firm; recent recipients of grants include tech incubators in Nigeria and Kenya. So far, he and wife Pam have given away more than $1 billion to programs spanning a range of causes, from poverty alleviation to human rights to disaster relief. The French-born Iranian moved to the U.S. with his family at age six. He wrote code for his site Auction Web at age 28 and renamed it eBay after his first choice, Echo Bay, was already taken. The first item ever sold on eBay was his broken laser pointer for which he got $14.83. Omidyar became a billionaire in 1998 when the company went public. He ceded executive control to new hire Meg Whitman in 1998; she in turn was replaced by John Donahoe 10 years later. Omidyar remains chairman of eBay. [...] more
After President Barack Obama's announcement in support of same-sex marriage on Wednesday, only one billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, has expressed backing for the president's decision. [...] more>>
A curated list of lessons billionaires have given to college graduates over the years, as they delivered commencement speeches across the country. [...] more>>
Bezos, Gates, Icahn up; Adelson, Arnault, Waltons down. [...] more>>
Disruptive innovators possess a suite of skills that enable them to connect dots that the rest of us don't usually perceive. But can these skills be learned? [...] more>>
he writes. The book is likely to send shockwaves far and wide. The sector has attracted such names as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, and George Soros, the hedge fund investor. Celebrity supporters include Bono, the Clintons [...] more>>
Salar Kamangar, Expedia President Dara Khosrowshahi, MGA Entertainment Chief Executive Isaac Larian and EBay founder Pierre Omidyar have helped transform Iran into a 21st century economic powerhouse? The first three were born in Iran; Omidyar's father is Iranian. [...] more>>
the country they were born in." Mixed approaches to philanthropy in the technology sector are longstanding. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, started by the Microsoft co-founder, is now the largest grant-maker in the USA, its $37.4 billion in assets more [...] more>>
| Number of shares owned | 131,388,408 |
