meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Business Wars

eBay vs PayPal - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do | 5

Business Wars

Audible

History, David Brown, Business, Management

4.613.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2018

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

By late 2000, PayPal and X.com are yoked together, with X.com CEO Elon Musk leading the newly combined company. But it’s a rocky marriage: PayPal’s founders clash with their new leader over everything from his imperious management style to his choice of server platforms. Finally the PayPal loyalists decide there’s only one option left: it’s time to engineer a coup.


You can support this show by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, prime members, you can listen to business wars at free on Amazon music.

0:04.8

Download the app today.

0:10.6

It's October 2000.

0:13.1

Ten months after Elon Musk gets married, he finally sneaks in a belated honeymoon.

0:18.7

The ex.com CEO is taking his wife to Australia to catch the summer Olympics.

0:25.0

Ever the workaholic Musk also schedules fundraising meetings down under.

0:29.8

PayPal needs more money, even after the recent infusion.

0:34.1

It's paying $2.50 for every credit card transaction, but it loses another dollar to fraud on every

0:40.8

$100 in payments.

0:43.1

That's $10 million a month.

0:46.8

That kind of burn rate, the $100 million the company raised sure won't last long.

0:52.6

And more trouble is brewing at PayPal headquarters.

0:57.1

After reading an email from Musk, Levchin angrily sweeps a full soft drink can off his desk.

1:03.0

Hell no, no freaking way.

1:05.9

He high-tails it to read Hoffman's office and slams the door behind him.

1:10.5

You know what our idiotic overlord has just ordered?

1:14.0

Hoffman leans back against his desk.

1:16.1

I don't know.

1:17.1

What?

1:18.1

And did me to move our entire Unix network architecture to Microsoft?

1:22.7

Ouch.

1:23.7

For a Unix devotee like Levchin, that's sacrilege.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audible, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Audible and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.