It all started with a theory about the Internet and a broken laser pointer. EBay launched Labor Day weekend 1995 under 28-year-old founder Pierre Omidyar’s belief in the power of an online community.

As any stingy electronics tinkerer can tell you, eBay is a great place for getting components in bulk and on the cheap. They may not be high quality, and they may not be 100 percent reliable, but for ...

Pierre Omidyar, the Iranian-born founder of eBay, quietly revolutionized online commerce. Driven by a passion for technology from a young age, he launched AuctionWeb in 1995, which quickly grew into ...