eBay Spins Off PayPal

PayPal is an independent company once again.

At $46.6 billion, PayPal would have a greater market capitalization than that of eBay, whose value will shrink to around $34 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. PayPal will begin trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker “PYPL,” returning to its roots under the same ticker it had before it was acquired by eBay in 2002. It’s a sure sign that investors are seeing growth potential in PayPal, a company that boasted 169 million users and processed $1.1 billion in payments in the second quarter, with transaction volume up 27% over the prior year, the company said recently. The increasing shift for shoppers toward payment channels such as mobile devices, as detailed in a PWC retail report, creates a prime environment for PayPal to thrive in.

PayPal launched in 1998 as Confinity and helped make homocon Peter Thiel a billionaire.

IRELAND: eBay Posts Yes Equality Clip

"eBay created this video encouraging people to vote yes in the upcoming Marriage Equality Referendum in Ireland. The video includes members of eBay’s staff in Dublin telling their personal reasons as to why they will be voting yes."

IRELAND: eBay Says Yes Equality

From the Irish Times:

Tech giant eBay has become the latest multinational to back a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on marriage equality. Speaking at the company’s offices in Dublin, eBay chief executive John Donahoe said the company was strongly supportive of the referendum. “Globally we always had a very strong commitment to diversity inclusion for the very simple reason that we’ve a diverse customer base - eBay and Paypal have 150 million active consumers around the world, and that by its very nature has diversity in it - and we believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce and team produces the best results. When we apply that to Ireland it’s aptly the case here,” he told The Irish Times.

Twitter has also backed the Yes Equality campaign.

Tech Giants Denounce RFRA Bills

Via press release:

The values of diversity, fairness and equality are central to our industry. These values fuel creativity and inspiration, and those in turn make the U.S. technology sector the most admired in the world today. We believe it is critically important to speak out about proposed bills and existing laws that would put the rights of minorities at risk. The transparent and open economy of the future depends on it, and the values of this great nation are at stake.

Religious freedom, inclusion, and diversity can co-exist and everyone including LGBT people and people of faith should be protected under their states’ civil rights laws. No person should have to fear losing their job or be denied service or housing because of who they are or whom they love. However, right now those values are being called into question in states across the country. In more than twenty states, legislatures are considering legislation that could empower individuals or businesses to discriminate against LGBT people by denying them service if it they felt it violated their religious beliefs.

To ensure no one faces discrimination and ensure everyone preserves their right to live out their faith, we call on all legislatures to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their civil rights laws and to explicitly forbid discrimination or denial of services to anyone. Anything less will only serve to place barriers between people, create hurdles to creativity and inclusion, and smother the kind of open and transparent society that is necessary to create the jobs of the future. Discrimination is bad for business and that’s why we've taken the time to join this joint statement.

The statement is signed by top executives from eBay, Paypal, Zillow, Twitter, AirBnB, Cisco, SalesForce, Zynga, Yelp, Affirm, Square, Lyft, and many others.

Somebody Tried To Sell Alabama On eBay

A few days ago the state of Alabama was briefly available for purchase on eBay.

"We loved this state for many years, but now that Alabama is subverting federal law by allowing officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, it's time to let her go," the seller, Welsh91, wrote in the description. "Frankly, 49 states is enough." "Alabama became a state on December 14th, 1819. They have made no recognizable progress since," the listing says. According to the listing, attempts at private sales were made previous to the auction listing, but the potential buyers - Iran and Saudi Arabia - "thought it was, frankly, too backwoods and messed up." Even ISIS said Alabama was too fundamentalist, according to the listing. The seller did not seem to be particularly motivated to rid himself of the property. He seems to lay out things that would likely be found upon a full inspection. In fact, the seller seems to be quite bitter with the item. "Education - 49th out of 50," the seller wrote. "15% of the state is illiterate. So, upon purchase, you might want to invest a little money in dictionaries. A whopping 60% of Alabama believes in Creationism. 60%!!!! Bring a lot of bibles!"

According to the listing, Alabama is made out of wicker and proceeds from the sale were to go to "somebody like Lambda Legal."

Corporations To SCOTUS: Uneven Marriage Laws Are Burdening Our Business

Thirty major corporations have filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to hear AFER's challenge of Virginia's same-sex marriage ban. On the list: Amazon, CBS, Deutsche Bank, eBay, Intel, General Electric, Levi Strauss, Nike, Oracle, Pfizer, Staples, Target, and Viacom. In general, the brief argues that the nation's uneven patchwork of marriage laws places an undue burden on corporations. An excerpt:

Amici include technology, materials, financial services, pharmaceutical, apparel, and entertainment companies; hoteliers and restaurateurs, service providers, consultants, and designers. Amici all share a desire to attract and retain a talented workforce. We are located or operate in states across the country, some of which recognize marriages of those of our employees whose spouses are of the same sex, and others that prohibit marriages between same-sex couples and refuse to recognize existing same-sex marriages. This dual and continuously shifting regime uniquely burdens amici. This legal uncertainty exposes us, as employers, to unnecessary cost, risk, and administrative complexity. In addition, this irresolution hampers our efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible, placing us at a competitive disadvantage. Our success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees, without distinction. The burden imposed by inconsistent state laws of having to administer complicated schemes to account for differential treatment of similarly situated employees creates unnecessary confusion, tension, and ultimately, diminished employee morale.

Hit the link for the full list of corporations.

eBay Map: Most Popular Items By State

Via Business Insider:

E-commerce giant eBay has revealed the most popular item in every state. Californians favored high-end women's accessories, while men's cologne ruled in New Jersey. Some states were more practical. People in Ohio purchased outdoor equipment. North Carolina residents spent their money on baby products, while Connecticut customers bought batteries. Texans ordered "tactical and hunting goods," while New Yorkers favored firearms.

There's a huge infographic at the link. (Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

Proud Whopper Wrapper: $1000 On eBay

There have been no bids so far.

eBay: Change Your Passwords Now

Via the Telegraph:

Online auction site eBay is telling all 233M of its users to change their passwords following a "cyber attack" which compromised a database of account information. It is thought that hackers managed to access some eBay employee log-ins which gave access to the company's corporate network. From there the attackers were able to access the database containing users' information and steal the data. The company will be sending an email to each user today to notify them of the data breach and ask them to change their password. They will also be advised to change their log-in on any other websites if they used the same password there.

Nate Silver Compiles Prop 8 Donations By Staffers At Major Silicon Valley Companies

Using a Los Angeles Times database of donations to the 2008 Proposition 8 campaign, stats guru Nate Silver has compiled a list of how the staffers of major Silicon Valley tech companies weighed in with their wallets.

The list includes Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Cisco Systems, Apple, Google, Sun Microsystems, eBay, Oracle, Yahoo, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Symantec. I limited the search to donors who listed California as their location. In total between these 11 companies, 83 percent of employee donations were in opposition to Proposition 8. So Eich was in a 17 percent minority relative to the top companies in Silicon Valley. However, there was quite a bit of variation from business to business. At Intel, 60 percent of employee donations were in support of Proposition 8. By contrast, at Apple, 94 percent of employee donations were made in opposition to Proposition 8. The opposition was even higher at Google, where 96 percent of employee donations were against it, including $100,000 from co-founder Sergey Brin. There isn’t much data on Mozilla. Only four Proposition 8 donors listed it as their employer: Eich, who donated in support of the measure, and three others who opposed it.

Silver notes that his result does not include those who chose to donate to either side of the campaign without disclosing the name of their employers. About 12% of those in the database did not.

Bidding On Painting By George Zimmerman Nears $100,000 On eBay

Raw Story reports:

After beating the rap on murder charges and a pair of domestic violence cases, George Zimmerman has turned to art. The Florida man is selling his first-ever painted work on eBay and has already attracted nearly 100 bids – and just short of $100,000 – in an auction that ends early Monday morning. Zimmerman’s brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., confirmed the auction is legitimate and the artwork is authentic. The 18-inch-by-24-inch canvas shows a rippling American flag in close-up, painted in light and dark blue hues, with the words “God, One Nation, with Liberty and Justice for All,” painted in white letters on the darker stripes.

Many famous killers liked to paint. Gacy, Manson, Hitler....

Golden Girls Nesting Dolls - Now On eBay

Several months ago, a lot of you were plotzing over Ginger Williams' hand-painted Golden Girls nesting dolls. Ginger writes us this morning with the news that the dolls are now available on eBay.

Trouble With The Help For Meg Whitman

California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is having some trouble with the help. Namely, her former housekeeper of nine years who today revealed herself as an undocumented worker amid claims that Whitman was an abusive employer.

Flanked by attorney Gloria Allred, former Whitman employee Nicandra Diaz made the accusations at a tearful Los Angeles press conference Wednesday. Diaz said she asked Whitman for help with her immigration status in 2009 and Whitman refused. "I felt like she was throwing me away like a piece of garbage," Diaz said. Whitman responded to the charges in a statement Wednesday. "After nine years of faithful service, Nicky came to us in June 2009 and confessed that she was an illegal worker," the statement reads. "Nicky had falsified the hiring documents and personal information she provided to the employment agency that brought her to us in 2000. Nicky told me that she was admitting her deception now because she was aware that her lie might come out during the campaign. Nicky said she was concerned about hurting my family and me." Whitman continued: "As required by law, once we learned she was an illegal worker, I immediately terminated Nicky’s employment. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I considered Nicky a friend and a part of our extended family."

Gloria Allred says her client was "exploited, disrespected, humiliated and emotionally and financially abused." I don't think there's much to see here, actually. Whitman supposedly terminated the woman immediately upon learning about her status, which clears her from charges of hypocrisy about her immigration positions. As for the abuse claims, remember this is prime opportunist Gloria Allred. I wish there could be some actual meat to this story, but I doubt it. It'll depend on how the housekeeper plays in the Spanish press, I'd guess.

Meg Whitman Sold Porn And That's (Apparently) A Bad Thing

California GOP candidate for governor Steve Poizner has released an ad attacking former eBay CEO and fellow candidate Meg Whitman because eBay sells porn. "Do Republicans want a governor who directly profited from selling pornography and sex paraphernalia?" Oy brother. There are a LOT of reasons to despise Meg Whitman, but this ain't one of them.

Bidding Is Now Open

Your very own Pat Robertson voodoo doll, complete with Bible and money bag, is now up for auction on eBay. Proceeds go to the Haiti relief effort.

(Via - Americablog)

Straight New York Woman Auctions Her Right To Marry On eBay

JMG reader Scott tips us to this eBay auction:

I'm an unmarried heterosexual woman, and since I probably won't be using my right to get married, I would like to give it away. I would like to sell it to the highest bidder and donate the proceeds to an organization that supports LGBT rights since the government designed to protect all of us is picking and choosing based on what they think is icky, weird, or unkown to them.

Bid now, and you can have my super wonderful privilege and legal ability to get married as many times as you want in a classy place like the one pictured. You don't have to know the person, you don't have to like them, you don't have to think through your decision to get married or anything - you can just do it! Because you can! Come on, it's cool to get married, and think of the pictures you'll have to show people of this person that they will definitely think is so wrong for you and probably is! But heavens to BETSY, do NOT marry someone of the same gender because that would be a mockery of the institution of marriage. And if it doesn't work out, just get divorced. Half the cool people who get married do that anyway.

If eBay somehow allows the auction to remain, Jamie is donating the proceeds to the Point Foundation, a scholarship fund for LGBT students. Jamie Frevele, our straight ally hero for the day!

Prank: Sen. Max Baucus' Vote For Public Option For Sale On eBay

(Tipped by JMG reader Peter)

Woman Pays $63K For Dinner With Palin

A elderly woman paid $63K to win an eBay auction for a dinner with Sarah Palin, whom she hopes to talk into running for president. The money goes to Ride To Recovery, a program for injured veterans.

Hypocri$y Inc: Catholic Church Selling "Historic Prop 8 Desk" Of Suspended Priest

Father Geoff Farrow came out to his Fresno, California congregation in October last year in a sermon decrying Proposition 8. Predictably, his diocese promptly suspended him. But far be it for the Catholic Church to miss ANY opportunity to rake in some dough, even in the case of a "disgraced" priest, as they are now SELLING Father Geoff's office desk on eBay, billing the item as the "historic Prop. 8 desk of Father Geoff Farrow."

JMG reader Jeff, who is the administrator of the Facebook group "Supporters Of Father Geoff," warns: "Please be advised that Father Geoff is NOT involved in this. The desk is being auctioned by the Archbishop of Fresno that suspended him. Apparently they have NO problem in attempting to benefit from the harm they inflicted upon him."

Unbelievable.

UPDATE: Father Geoff has confirmed that item for sale is the desk he used at the St. Paul's Newman Center in Fresno. I'm trying to determine the identity of the eBay user who made the post. His eBay activity appears to date back to 1999, with dozens of "positive feedback" mentions.

UPDATE II: From Father Geoff Farrow's blog.

The ad on E-bay states that the proceeds will go to an unspecified charity. As far as I know, the desk and chair are the property of Saint Paul’s Newman Center in Fresno and, of course, ultimately of the Diocese of Fresno. If this were still the case then the sale of the desk and chair would have to be authorized by Deacon John Supino, the current administrator of St. Paul’s. In that case, I would deduce that the charity in question would be St. Paul’s; however, that information was not specifically stated in the E-bay ad.

All of this seems rather ironic, since the Diocese actively worked for the passage of Prop 8, which stripped same sex couples of marriage equality in California. The fact that they would now refer to the desk as the “historic Prop 8 desk of Father Geoff Farrow” seems disingenuous. I do not want someone to purchase these items under the mistaken belief that their funds will contribute to the ongoing struggle for full marriage equality.

I would suggest that anyone seriously interested in purchasing this desk/chair contact Deacon John Supino at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Fresno, CA. and ask him what the “charity” is which will benefit from the sale of these items.

eBay CEO Meg Whitman Announces Bid For California Governor

As widely predicted, today eBay CEO Meg Whitman announced that she will run for governor of California in 2010. Whitman famously came out in support of Proposition 8 last fall, but tells the LA Times that she does support other LGBT right issues.

Explaining her support for Proposition 8, the November measure that banned same-sex marriage, she called it a "matter of personal conscience and my faith." But Whitman, a Presbyterian who supports gay civil unions, said the thousands of same-sex marriages that took place last year before the ban should be legally recognized -- a sentiment opposed by many Proposition 8 backers. Moreover, she said, gay and lesbian couples should be able to adopt children.

A friend of Mitt Romney, Whitman only recently registered as a Republican in California because she believed the head of eBay should appear to be politically neutral. California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has petitioned the state Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8, may also run for governor in 2010.