Pierre Omidyar

Lore & Background

Pierre Omidyar was born in Paris to Iranian parents who had immigrated for higher education. His mother, Elahé Mir-Djalali Omidyar, earned a doctorate in linguistics at the Sorbonne and is the daughter of General Mahmud Mir-Djalali, a key figure in Iran's military industries. His father, Cyrus Omidyar, is a surgeon. The family moved to the United States when Omidyar was a child. He attended and graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in 1985, later earning a computer science degree from Tufts University in 1988.

After working at Claris, an Apple subsidiary, Omidyar co-founded Ink Development in 1991, which became eShop Inc. and was acquired by Microsoft in 1996. In 1995, at age 28, he wrote the code for an online auction site called Auction Web, launching it on September 4, 1995. The first item sold was a broken laser pointer. The site grew rapidly, and in 1997 he renamed it eBay. The story that eBay was founded to help his fiancée trade Pez dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997.

Omidyar incorporated the company, and by 1997 eBay hosted nearly 800,000 auctions daily. In 1998, Meg Whitman became president and CEO, and eBay went public, making Omidyar a billionaire. He later founded the Omidyar Network in 2004 with his wife, launched Honolulu Civil Beat in 2010, and created First Look Media in 2013, which launched The Intercept in 2014. He stepped down from eBay's board in 2020 but retains the title of director emeritus.

Reader's Guide

Pierre Omidyar's significance lies in his role as a pioneer of online commerce through eBay, which transformed person-to-person auctions into a global marketplace. His early recognition of the internet's potential for connecting buyers and sellers directly laid the groundwork for the modern e-commerce ecosystem. Beyond eBay, Omidyar's philanthropic and investment activities through the Omidyar Network have focused on harnessing markets for social good, funding initiatives in property rights, governance, education, and financial inclusion. His entry into journalism with Honolulu Civil Beat and First Look Media reflects a commitment to investigative reporting and public affairs, particularly following the Edward Snowden leaks. Omidyar's legacy is also marked by his antitrust activism and criticism of big tech, bankrolling groups like the anti-monopoly think tank Open Market. As a signatory of The Giving Pledge, he has declared his intention to give away most of his wealth, donating approximately $500 million to charitable causes by 2019. His career illustrates the intersection of technology entrepreneurship, media innovation, and strategic philanthropy.

Did You Know?

• Omidyar's first name at birth was Parviz; he later changed it to Pierre.
• The first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer, bought by a collector of broken laser pointers.
• The story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade Pez dispensers was fabricated by a PR manager in 1997.
• Omidyar is the grandson of General Mahmud Mir-Djalali, who was instrumental in the 1921 rise of the Pahlavi Dynasty and the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh.