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Computer Programmer Pierre Omidyar Established Ebay Inc.

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In 1995 computer programmer Pierre Omidyar established eBay Inc. (eBay) from his living room in San Jose, California. He created a simple prototype of an auction site on his personal website and called it Auction Web, then let people list items for auction. He was amazed at the number of buyers and sellers that his site attracted and he soon had to set up a separate site devoted to auctions. By charging sellers for posting their auction items, and taking a small percentage of each sale, the company made money simply by supplying a place for buyers and sellers to meet. Business grew through word of mouth. A Feedback Forum was added to allow buyers and sellers a way to rate each other for honesty and reliability. Branching out from collectibles, the site quickly expanded into a vast range of items, including electronics, home furnishings and appliances, and cars and other vehicles. In 1996, Omidyar hired Jeff Skoll as his first employee and the company’s first president. Skoll is credited with writing a business plan that took eBay from a start-up to a sensational success. In 1996, Auction Web hosted 250,000 auctions. In the first month of 1997, it hosted two million. Omidyar changed the company 's name to eBay in 1997. In 1998 former Hasbro executive Meg Whitman was hired to serve as president and CEO. Whitman brought on a diverse management team with individuals from companies such as Pepsi and Disney. EBay went public in the fall of 1998. The share price almost tripled on

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