IBM s now its biggest customer. This move away from auction and into mainstream sales goes against the principles on which eBay was established.
eBay should start to address the fraud issue. The introduction of deposit accounts would help overcome the problem of bogus bidders. The deposit account would enable a percentage of the successful bid to be automatically deducted or eBay could make an automatic deduction from users' credit cards. It seems there are people who use the eBay site as a sort of free internet game, making bids but with no intention of buying. While eBay can produce statistics showing how many auctions are successful, the numbers give no indication of how many sellers actually get paid.
The purchase of Skype raises many opportunities. Will eBay block potential in the adult market - an area where a great many developers see potential? Especially when history teaches us that from the VCR industry to the internet the adult industry has been at the forefront of developing technologies and markets.
VOIP, the online payment system (Paypal) and the eBay community should create new experiences and encourage new developer solutions at the intersection of the three businesses. How open the enlarged business is to the innovation in the developer community could well determine its success. There is a shared opportunity for the company and independent developers. eBay will undoubtedly find ways to achieve a return on the huge investment it has made in Skype, but the rewards could be all the richer if it opens the platform to outside influences. It is worthy of note that what was a weakness for eBay its technology - has now become a strength.
During her 10 years with the company Meg Whitman oversaw expansion from 30 employees and $4 million in annual revenue to more than 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue when she stepped down in 2008.
In February 2009, Whitman announced her candidacy for Governor of California, becoming the third woman in a 20-year period to run for the office. She won the Republican primary in June 2010. She spent more of her own money on her candidacy than any other self-funded political candidate in US history, spending about $160 million total. However in the November 2 election, Whitman lost to Jerry Brown