The Paypal Wars
In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore The PayPal Wars by Eric Jackson. The inside story of how a scrappy startup survived the dot-com crash, outmaneuvered eBay, and helped launch a generation of entrepreneurs who would redefine technology itself. From online auctions to boardroom coups, this is the origin story of the PayPal Mafia and the digital revolution they sparked.
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00:08 - 00:49 In the twilight hours between the dot-com boom and the war on terror, a small startup in Palo Alto was fighting battles that would reshape the future of internet commerce. This is the story of PayPal. Not just a company, but a launchpad that would forge some of Silicon Valley's most influential figures and prove that even in the ashes of the greatest financial bubble in history, revolutionary ideas could survive. When PayPal's online payment service emerged, it set in motion a series of events that would pit talented entrepreneurs, revolutionary technology, and a bold vision for global currency change against one of the fiercest series of challenges ever faced by a Silicon Valley startup.
00:49 - 01:15 At stake was more than just one company's survival. The dot-com crash of 2000 had left the technology sector in ruins, with billions of dollars vaporized and thousands of startups shuttered. Yet from this wreckage would emerge not just a successful business, but what would later be called the PayPal Mafia. A network of entrepreneurs who would go on to create or invest in some of the most transformative companies of the 21st century.
01:16 - 01:34 Tesla, SpaceX, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yelp, and eventually, a social network simply called X. This is how it all began. Part 1. Online Auctions In 1999, Silicon Valley was intoxicated with possibility.
