Pierre Omidyar Interview (page: 7 / 8) Founder and Chairman, eBay	Print Interview

When you look at the accomplishments of accomplished people and you say, "Boy, that must have been really hard," you know, when you look at something that looks hard, that was probably easy. And conversely, when you look at something that looks easy, that was probably hard. And so you're never going to know which is which until you actually go and do it. So just go and do it, try it, learn from it. You'll fail at some things, that's a learning experience that you need so that you can take that on to the next experience. And don't let people who you may respect and who you believe know what they're talking about, don't let them tell you it can't be done, because often they will tell you it can't be done, and it's just because they don't have the courage to try.
[ Video ] Low High    [ Audio ] Quicktime	[ Key to Success ] Courage

One of your former colleagues at Microsoft said that it surprised him that you made this fortune. Why would he say something like that?

Pierre Omidyar: It's funny. I laugh because after the article came out he sent me an e-mail and he said, "I'm really sorry. That's not what I said. It wasn't supposed to come out that way," and he felt really bad about it. I didn't actually think it was that big a deal. I guess he thought it was a bit insulting or something.

Can nice guys make it in the business world?

Pierre Omidyar: That's a very kind way of phrasing that question, and I appreciate that. I think nice guys can make it. Especially in my business, eBay, which is all based on people doing business with one another. What I tell people all the time about eBay is that it's not like a retail experience.

If you think about a retail environment, where people are buying things in a retail environment, the retailer has a whole bunch of control. They choose the products. They design the store or the catalogue. They train the salespeople. They control the experience. And if there's a problem with a salesperson, they retrain and so on and so forth. At eBay, our customer's experience is based on how one customer interacts with another customer, okay, and you can't control customer behavior. So the only thing you can do is have a certain set of values that you encourage people to adopt, and the only way your customers are going to adopt those values is if they see that you're living those values as well. So when I say that I believe people are basically good, it's because I believe people are basically good. I mean, it's not something that I came up with for eBay. And if I say that you should treat people with the benefit of the doubt, it's because I believe in that as a way of life. And we have to do it internally at eBay at the company as well, because if we don't, then eventually that seeps through, and customers will see that and that will harm our business, because we can't control customer behavior. So our business is based on that.
[ Video ] Low High    [ Audio ] Quicktime	[ Key to Success ] Integrity

That's a long winded way of saying that "nice guys," a responsible company that has its heart in the right place -- that's run by real human beings -- it has to be successful, because if we weren't that way, eBay would not be successful, eBay wouldn't exist. It would not be possible.

Do you have some idea of what you'd like to do next? Where do you go from here?

Pierre Omidyar: The big opportunity that I see now is shepherding this wealth that has been created into our philanthropic goals. Those goals have to do with rekindling a sense of the community, reminding people that it's important to be part of your community and there's a benefit that comes with being part of your community. That's something that in America we have lost a little bit, but the value is still there. The core values of community are still there in America, and they just need to be rekindled a little bit.

What are the responsibilities that go along with the kind of success you've had and the kind of wealth you've been able to accumulate?

Pierre Omidyar: I look at it as a deep and heavy responsibility, in fact, to make sure that that wealth goes to good use, because it's very simple. An enormous amount of wealth has been created in this business, even in my business, and it is unmeasurable. My personal wealth is far beyond what any normal human being will ever need in their lifetime for themselves, for their family, for their descendants for generations. You know, a small, small piece of what I have is enough for that. And so the rest of it, I don't want to see it go to waste. So I have a responsibility to make sure it's put to good use. And you know, I feel I'm benefiting from the market success of a great business that has been built by regular, ordinary people who are logging on every day and doing business with one another. And you know, that's something that I have to give back. I have to do it. I have to make sure that that wealth is put to good use.
[ Video ] Low High    [ Audio ] Quicktime	[ Key to Success ] The American Dream

It's a learning process for my wife and I as we think about that. We have 50 years ahead of us hopefully, at least as philanthropists, so we've got a long term horizon.

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