2006-10-28 10:45:34 · 13 answers · asked by JANET F 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Corporations
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Jeff Skoll was hired as the company's first president and full-time employee in 1996. In November 1996, eBay entered into its first third-party licensing deal, with a company called Electronic Travel Auction to use SmartMarket Technology to sell plane tickets and other travel products.
The company officially changed the name of its service from AuctionWeb to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar's consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name EchoBay.com but found it already taken by the Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, eBay.com.
2006-10-28 10:48:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 13⤊ 0⤋
Founded in San Jose, California on September 4, 1995 by Pierre Omidyar and Jeff Skoll as Auctionweb, part of a larger personal site that included, among other things, Omidyar's own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Ebola virus.
The first item sold was Omidyar's broken laser pointer for $14.83. Astonished, he contacted the winning bidder and asked, "did he not understand the laser pointer was broken?" Omidyar received the following email in reply: "I'm a collector of broken laser pointers." (The frequently repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancee trade PEZ Candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media. This was revealed in Adam Cohen's 2002 book and confirmed by eBay.)
It officially changed its name to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar's consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name EchoBay.com but found it already taken by the Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, eBay.com.
Margaret (Meg) Whitman joined the company in March 1998. She joined eBay when the company had 30 employees and operated solely in the United States; eBay is now a global organization with over 9,000 employees. Meg is credited with building the company to what it is today.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ebay...
2006-10-28 17:51:16 · answer #2 · answered by sg 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I heard the E was for Electronic and Bay was from the Bay area in which it was developed. The founders wanted a name so unique that it could become its own noun and verb and not be stolen by other businesses through the legal protection that the name has paid for.
2006-10-28 17:53:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Even Buy A Yeti
2006-10-28 17:50:26 · answer #4 · answered by Stanleymonkey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It stands for "we are experts at stopping your yahoo emails opening " We are paying Yahoo big money to advertise so we want to be on your screens for an eternity and you will all watch us rather than your emails!!
2006-10-28 17:51:22 · answer #5 · answered by little weed 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Easy Bargains Are You
2006-10-28 17:47:56 · answer #6 · answered by Dragon Empress 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they wanted Echo Bay but that domain name was taken so they shortened it - for full history see this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebay
2006-10-28 17:54:36 · answer #7 · answered by Mari C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
e for email and bay as a word for a place where commerce is done
2006-10-28 18:27:34 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
every body asks Y?
Y am I being scammed..
Y Does it take forever to get my order...
Y doesn't ebay shut down????
2006-10-28 17:51:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its a word on its own. Not initials
2006-10-28 17:47:38 · answer #10 · answered by crinklechip 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋