Pierre Morad Omidyar is a French-born Iranian American entrepreneur and philanthropist, who is the founder and chairman of the sale site. Omidyar and his wife Pam are well-known philanthropists who founded Omidyar Network in 2004 in order to expand their efforts beyond non-profits to include for-profits and public policy.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., Pierre’s interest in computers began at the Potomac School, which started to increase when he was in the 9th grade. He attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. He graduated from St. Andrew’s in 1984, and in 1988, he graduated with a degree in computer science from Tufts University.

According to Forbes, Pierre Omidyar is worth $8.2 billion (US) as of September 2012, making him the 141st richest person in the world and 42nd richest United States resident. He is the richest Iranian and the fifth richest French person.