Billionaires Pierre Omidyar - Founder and Chairman, Ebay

Pierre Omidyar - Founder and Chairman, Ebay

Pierre Omidyar - Founder and Chairman, Ebay

Net Worth $8.2 B As of September 2012

Founder and Chairman, Ebay

Source of Wealth: Ebay, self-made

Residence: Honolulu, HI

Country of Citizenship: United States

Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, Tufts University

Marital Status: Married

Children: 3

Forbes Lists

#42 Forbes 400

#141 Forbes Billionaires

#50 in United States

When eBay founder Pierre Omidyar was 31 years old, he became a billionaire in one afternoon. It was 1998, and as the auction site he created went public, he became "ridiculously rich", as he called it. Since then, his focus has been on giving most of his money away in his lifetime; he reiterated his intention by signing the Gates and Buffett Giving Pledge in 2010. He continues to gift eBay shares to the Omidyar Network, his philanthropic investment firm; recent recipients of grants include tech incubators in Nigeria and Kenya. 

He's also been investing closer to home, teaming up with a cattle ranch in his home state of Hawaii to test new forms of grass-fed beef production, with the goal of increasing local food production. The couple also continues its work with Humanity United, aimed at stopping human trafficking and sex slavery, and HopeLab, an innovative organization that uses technology to help improve the health of young people with chronic illness. 

Despite giving away over $1 billion in his lifetime, his net worth is up $500 million year on year thanks to a 20% boost in eBay's stock. 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 he ever sold on the online auction site was his broken laser pointer, for which he got $14.83. Omidyar 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.

The data in this section is provided by Morningstar and is based on federal disclosure filings. Figures here may differ from Forbes estimates that take into account more recent changes.

eBay Inc

Director Compensation for 2011

All other compensation $19,553

Total Compensation $19,553

Stock Ownership for 2012

Number of shares owned 121,788,408