Pierre Omidyar

Pierre Omidyar is driven by the idea that change is possible given the right combination of insight, innovation, talent, and timing. From his early beginnings as an entrepreneur and technologist to his recent work as a philanthropist and publisher, Pierre’s vision for change, coupled with a strong belief and trust in humanity, has generated groundbreaking innovations and inspired people around the world to “think big” about what’s possible. After creating eBay in 1995 — a pioneering company that today provides more than 150 million people around the world with a platform to connect — Pierre turned much of his focus to philanthropy and, along with his wife Pam, began building the foundation for a life dedicated to empowering people, fostering change, and tackling important issues on a global scale. While their portfolio of philanthropic work spans multiple geographies and areas of focus, it is bound by a single belief that people are inherently good and capable, but don’t always have access to opportunity. Pierre and Pam are deeply committed to increasing this access wherever possible and addressing inequities through innovative, long-term solutions. In both his commercial and philanthropic work, Pierre is drawn to problem solving – deeply exploring the complexities of challenges to identify the factors that will most impact change and find strategies to generate results. He applies his analytic yet compassionate approach to a variety of areas of interest and concern, many of which are reflected through the work of The Omidyar Group. This evolving portfolio of organizations and programs represent the Omidyars’ shared and respective ideas, passions, and interests, and Pierre continues to explore new frontiers for creating positive impact.

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