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The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth

Eric M. Jackson

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Founder connections

  • Brian ArmstrongDiscussed as an influence
    Armstrong discusses this book when asked what influenced his thinking about building a company. He highlights PayPal’s early ideas about internet money.
    Source

Summary

Former PayPal marketing executive Eric M. Jackson recounts the company’s early years and the people who built it. His account follows the startup’s efforts to grow an online payment service while facing competition and other threats.

The book describes the work of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and their colleagues, including their struggle for control and conflicts with regulators and organized crime. It presents the company’s origins from the perspective of someone involved in the business.

  • SourceAuthor: The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth · Book description: The PayPal Wars
  • SourceThe PayPal Wars — Eric M. Jackson · Book description and bullet list of events

Why read it Our view

Study PayPal’s payment-product growth alongside competition, fraud, control disputes and regulators. The insider startup account connects product expansion with the operating pressures that came with it.

Written about

  • Elon MuskCompany-history subject
    Jackson’s insider account covers Musk and PayPal’s early development, including the struggle for control. This is a subject connection, not a reading recommendation.
    Source
  • Peter ThielCompany-history subject
    Jackson’s insider account covers Thiel and PayPal’s early development, including the struggle for control. This is a subject connection, not a reading recommendation.
    Source