The PayPal Wars
{{Short description|2004 non-fiction book by Eric M. Jackson}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth
| image = The Paypal Wars book cover.webp
| author = Eric M. Jackson
| isbn = 9780974670102
| pub_date = September 20, 2004
| publisher = World Ahead Publishing
| caption = First edition cover
}}
{{italic title}}
The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth (2004) is a book by former PayPal marketing executive Eric M. Jackson.
Description
The PayPal Wars is an insider's perspective on the people and events that helped create the company, and its acquisition by eBay in 2002. The book recounts PayPal's clashes with lawyers, regulators, and the American Mafia.{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth |url=http://www.worldaheadpublishing.com/titles/ppw.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611081644/http://www.worldaheadpublishing.com/titles/ppw.php |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |access-date=December 16, 2017 |website=World Ahead Publishing}}{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2025}} Many of PayPal's founding employees went on to start other companies like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Yelp, Inc.;{{Cite web |last=Rosmarin |first=Rachel |date=July 12, 2006 |title=The PayPal Exodus |url=http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/2006/07/12/paypal-ebay-youtube_cx_rr_0712paypal.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721065931/http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/2006/07/12/paypal-ebay-youtube_cx_rr_0712paypal.html |archivedate=July 21, 2006 |access-date=December 16, 2017 |website=Forbes |issn=0015-6914 |oclc=6465733}} they would become known as the PayPal Mafia.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}
Critical reception
The PayPal Wars received acclaim for its writing style and personal narrative. The Washington Times said the book is "an absorbing insider's story."{{cite web |date=February 12, 2005 |title=20th-century evils, Silicon Valley wars |url=http://washingtontimes.com/books/20050212-093435-4698r.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215502/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/feb/12/20050212-093435-4698r/ |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=December 1, 2022 |work=The Washington Times |issn=0732-8494 |oclc=8472624}} Radley Balko of Reason said that it "reads like a spy novel",{{cite web |last=Balko |first=Radley |author-link=Radley Balko |date=August–September 2005 |title=Who Killed PayPal? |url=https://reason.com/2005/08/01/who-killed-paypal-2/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116041926/https://reason.com/2005/08/01/who-killed-paypal-2/ |archivedate=January 16, 2025 |accessdate=August 27, 2013 |website=Reason |issn=0048-6906 |oclc=818916200}} while David R. Henderson of TCS Daily said, "It's rare that a business book is a page turner, but The PayPal Wars is".{{cite web |last=Henderson |first=David R. |author-link=David R. Henderson |date=March 14, 2005 |title=The Paypal Wars |url=http://www.techcentralstation.com/031405F.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930043440/http://www.techcentralstation.com/031405F.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |accessdate=August 27, 2013 |website=TCS Daily}} Tom Peters said The PayPal Wars "gives the best description of 'business strategy' unfolding in a world changing at warp speed."{{cite web |last=Peters |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Peters |date=October 3, 2005 |title=PayPal |url=http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=008205.php |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111200246/http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=008205.php |archivedate=November 11, 2006 |accessdate=June 2, 2017 |website=TomPeters.com}}
Editions
- The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth, World Ahead Publishing, {{ISBN|0-9746701-0-3}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{PayPal Mafia}}
{{Dot-com Bubble}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:PayPal Wars}}
Category:2004 non-fiction books