Comments on My Blog Utopia!: Where the Hell is Pierre?

In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus saile...

2008-11-05T11:19:51.145-08:00

In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

In nineteen hundred and ninety five, Pierre brought AuctionWeb alive.

In nineteen hundred and ninety eight, Meg came aboard, but it still worked great.

In 2008, just yesterday, the 'Hoe showed up and killed the 'Bay.

John Donahoe and Ebay have become a joke.A Donahoi...

2008-10-31T14:30:50.529-07:00

John Donahoe and Ebay have become a joke.
A Donahoism: Mr Donahoe asserts if the buyers are there then the sellers will come.
Really?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKSDUZj8woY
How many people stand around in a field waiting for a mall to be
built?

Pierre is Meg's bitch. He's a little child who ne...

2008-10-31T08:40:19.883-07:00

Pierre is Meg's bitch. He's a little child who needed adult supervision. He's abdicated all his responsibilities. He has cash, but is powerless by choice.

John Donahoe inherited the crap that is eBay -- he has done his best to clean-house and eliminate all of the legacy human-waste that was the top management. He's not done yet, either -- in my opinion.

What would I do if I were John?

1) get rid of everybody that has Bain, BCG, or Mckinsey in their work history (except John -- i believe in John).
2) fire all the current consultants and contractors that are currently at eBay, costing hundreds of millions with zero results for the shareholder or the customer.
3) iterate on (1) and (2) and all you'll have left is just a handful of people with good operating experience who have actually ran companies or started companies.
4) then and only then, can eBay focus on the customer again (both buyers and sellers) and also on innovating.

Just my $0.15

nevertheless Pierre didnt write 'Last Legacy Dotco...

2008-10-31T08:01:06.758-07:00

nevertheless Pierre didnt write 'Last Legacy Dotcom Bubble , the Hoe did. THat damn term paper is the 'mein Kampf' of ebay but n obody paid attention. Its how to destrroy ebay brick by brick, 101. For ahired gun, thats more like one big hired hand grenade :( Pierre BCobb and JD spells PBJ and all 3 desrve to be EATEN

I haven't had any respect for Pierre for some time...

2008-10-30T23:42:37.113-07:00

I haven't had any respect for Pierre for some time now. He's just been sitting around on his billions while eBay goes down the toilet. Even as recently as THIS YEAR he was talking in an interview about the "level playing field" as if eBay actually has one. It must be a hell of an ivory tower you can build with billions of dollars, eh?

"But the real question is how much lower can eBay ...

2008-10-30T23:23:53.382-07:00

"But the real question is how much lower can eBay Marketplace numbers go before the BoD says enough?"

Nadine - its really hard for the directors to get a CEO out. I had Home Depot stock when Nardelli was raping that company. They finally got rid of him but it cost them millions. He was so absurd he actually ran his last stockholder's meeting by himself - without the board!

I don't think its hopeless. I know that if presen...

2008-10-30T23:01:55.260-07:00

I don't think its hopeless. I know that if present management was swept out today and someone with a good background and seller experience took the helm sellers would flood back in. I know I would. I don't believe in burning my bridges behind me. There was no place else that I could make the kind of money I made on Ebay last year and still be home and retired. Don't kid yourselves...Ebay has a big warchest of cash and can still turn around but not with the present management. I'm hoping they have the worst holiday season ever....I mean way way down a far as they can go so that its impossible to cover it up. In my mind the company will not keep Donahoe if its definitely in fear of going under. Right now he's blaming the economy. We all know that's not quite the truth. He has to once and for all be shown for the destroyer of the company - not the innovator!

I had taken a picture with Pierre in 2003 at the O...

2008-10-30T22:31:23.190-07:00

I had taken a picture with Pierre in 2003 at the Orlando Live, I said to him, thank you for making a site like this for someone like me to make a living.

Now 5 yrs later, I would like to say to him, thanks for making me waste almost 8 years of my life, building a company, going through hurdles being in Canada with unimaginable things US sellers wouldnt know about, only to have DSRs ruin me as once again, Canadian seller, low score for shipping & s/h means no views on eBay, means a warehouse full of inventory and no money coming in...means, broke soon.

Thanks Pierre! I really thought you were one of the good guys with your "level playing field"...only to sell out to buy.com & many others i'm sure.

Randy,I think new management could save face and e...

2008-10-30T17:31:38.275-07:00

Randy,
I think new management could save face and eBay by praising Donahoe's intentions while faulting only execution - then splitting eBay classic from eBay amazon lite. A new manager could tell the street that he needs money for the turnaround, then he could really advertise both brands - we're back! and we're new!

But the real question is how much lower can eBay Marketplace numbers go before the BoD says enough? Do you think Andreessen was brought onto the board to help give the verdict on JD?

Henrietta,I believe it could be done, but I don't ...

2008-10-30T14:17:06.472-07:00

Henrietta,

I believe it could be done, but I don't hold out much hope that it will be done.

Anonymous,
It would take a visionary to turn this around.

Randy-Ebay is just another prototype of the big co...

2008-10-30T14:09:12.163-07:00

Randy-
Ebay is just another prototype of the big corporations taking away jobs from the lower and middle class worker. Ebay was a great American story gone sour.

Will it come back? I doubt it. Too many bad feelings.

I think you'd have to put an Obama type CEO in there who believes in empowering the people who made Ebay great. JMHO

I do not share your optimism. eBay has spent the b...

2008-10-30T14:02:29.525-07:00

I do not share your optimism. eBay has spent the better part of a year subliminally telling buyers that it is a dangerous place to buy. Yes, there is quite often another sucker coming down the road but when you multiply the revolting seller by a factor of 8 (people who have had their ears bent for months and will then go share with their friends) that is a huge burden of negativity to pile on top of the "we are making eBay safer" = "eBay is unsafe and full of bad sellers" message.

The days of my 2500 store listings with 10% rotating through auction at any time are gone never to return. What value is success if you can't make money doing it?

Anonymous,This is true if they don't change course...

2008-10-30T12:38:02.695-07:00

Anonymous,

This is true if they don't change course. I think they have until Q1 of 2009 so maybe a few more months than you do.

Do I think they will change? Probably not, but I'm doing whatever I can to keep the topic alive.

The brand can be repaired but not by this management team.

I really don't care what Pierre says anymore. It's...

2008-10-30T12:01:50.370-07:00

I really don't care what Pierre says anymore. It's too late. The ebay brand is destroyed. You can't unring a bell. Ebay has chased off the quality sellers and they ain't coming back. Ebay has scared off the buyers with total neglect of the problems marketplace due to their sheer greed and laziness.

Install a SEASONED Ebay Seller ( at least 8 years)...

2008-10-30T09:04:23.802-07:00

Install a SEASONED Ebay Seller ( at least 8 years) who will give us the PRE 2001 User Interface and DUMP every Aquisition ever made. Be SURE to UNLOAD ALL of the TOP People. Every Last One.
Listen, TENS of THOUSANDS of Former Ebayers are Suffering the Horrible Horrible Consequences of John Donahoe's Presence at Ebay. THAT'S RIGHT !! I SAID SUFFERING ! ! ! Those whos futures have been abruptly ERASED. No Longer able to pay the Health Insurance, Pay the House Off in Time, Pay the Heating Bills, the Utilities, ALL THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE ! !
This wasn't "Funny Money". It was Life's Blood. I'm saddened that THE NATIONAL MEDIA would Blackout This HORRENDOUS CHAPTER in American History. This Story is BIGGER than the Home Mortgage Crisis ! ! ! This Story is Part of the Reason FOR the Home Mortgage Crisis !
In the Very NEAR Future, Ebay's Lifeless Carcass will be left for some New Energy to Resurect. The Sooner This Process begins, the Sooner The AGONY comes to an end.
Mr. Pickins, Mr. Trump, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Gates, Mr. Buffett, Ms. Bettencourt, Mr. Allen,...Please Consider for just a Moment...Investing in America.

nymarts.com

That mullet is classic! He should grow it backThis...

2008-10-29T21:49:02.668-07:00

That mullet is classic! He should grow it back

This quote needs to be updated. "Pierre founded eBay in 1995 to create a level playing field for commerce, giving everyone equal access to opportunity, information, and tools. Today"

If you look at the Omidyar Network "Team" backgrou...

2008-10-29T19:41:00.802-07:00

If you look at the Omidyar Network "Team" background at

http://www.omidyar.net/team_detail.php?i=pierre_omidyar

you find

Pierre - lucky schlub with mullet

Matt Bannick, Harvard - Kinsey (consultant)/PayPal/eBay

Sal Giambanco - PayPal/eBay

Matt Halprin, Harvard, Stanford - Boston Consulting Group (consultant). BCG employed Bill Bain and spawned Bain & Co, eBay. Entered eBay when it was a "Star" and left as it became a "Dog".

Chris Bishko, Duke - Majored in Biomedical Engineering and English Literature

Jim Bunch, Harvard, Stanford, Goldmand Sachs

Pam Omidyar, - Powerball winner

I started this post with the thought that Pierre has been corrupted by the Bainiac like spawn of eBay. In truth, he seems to have had a lot of hugely talented people around him. Only recently have the eBay/Paypal Consultant Pod People appeared.

Pierre and his good people may be under siege. That could be where the hell is Pierre.

I've come to think of Boston/Cambridge as the source of all things good, Legal Seafood, The Coop, etc. Now it kind of creeps me out.

McCain=Whitman=Bain=Romney=Bain=Donahoe=Bain=Halprin/Bannick=Omidyar

Got to do a little more work on this equation.

Here's something that cracks me up about eBay.eBay...

2008-10-29T19:09:20.482-07:00

Here's something that cracks me up about eBay.

eBay doesn't ship any inventory (other than those polo shirts with the eBay logo), yet they have a senior director of shipping.

David,John Donahoe doesn't want to have anything t...

2008-10-29T17:24:20.060-07:00

David,

John Donahoe doesn't want to have anything to do with Pierre's vision. Pierre apparently doesn't either.

Hey Randy, do you think John Donahoe believes in P...

2008-10-29T15:59:02.755-07:00

Hey Randy, do you think John Donahoe believes in Pierre's statement that "people are basically good"

Well, this post made me feel better, but not real ...

2008-10-29T14:41:50.766-07:00

Well, this post made me feel better, but not real sure if it helped anything.

RANDY!!!! You can't see me right now but I'm STAND...

2008-10-29T14:36:50.599-07:00

RANDY!!!! You can't see me right now but I'm STANDING on my CHAIR as I clap!!!

From the bottom of my heart-- Thank You!!!

I couldn't agree more. He's in a position where he...

2008-10-29T14:13:22.541-07:00

I couldn't agree more. He's in a position where he has power that no one else has and he doesn't use it. I don't get it.

Thanks for writing that post.

Size does matter and Pierre is hung like a pez dis...

2008-10-29T13:36:20.539-07:00

Size does matter and Pierre is hung like a pez dispenser.[That is anecdotal].

I have always felt Pierre is a kind of gutless won...

2008-10-29T12:00:20.627-07:00

I have always felt Pierre is a kind of gutless wonder. He hired on Meg because he simply couldn't handle Ebay and now Donahoe has the reins. I feel Pierre just sits back and hopes for the best!