EBay's first full-time employee left the company and built a $5.9 billion fortune

Jeffrey Skoll. Image Credit: Skoll World Forum Jeff Skoll, eBay's first full-time employee and president, played a crucial role in building the company before leaving after its 1998 public offering. He helped turn an online auction business into one of the defining technology companies of the internet boom, then chose a different path from the one usually associated with billionaires. Today, Forbes estimates his fortune at $5.9 billion, while his charitable Skoll Foundation and Skoll Global Threats Fund have donated about $1.2 billion worldwide over more than two decades. His journey has moved beyond technology, taking him into philanthropy, impact investing and filmmaking. From helping strangers trust one another in online transactions to funding people working on poverty, health and environmental problems, Skoll's story is ultimately about what happened after the fortune was made and what he decided it should be used for.How did eBay’s first full-time employee build a $5.9 billion fortuneJeff Skoll's path to extraordinary wealth began with a decision he initially doubted. According to Forbes, he met eBay founder Pierre Omidyar while studying for an MBA at Stanford University. Whe...