Jeff Skoll

Jeff Skoll is an engineer, internet entrepreneur, film producer, and philanthropist known for co-founding eBay and Participant Media. After developing the business plan that guided eBay’s growth from a startup into a large company, Jeff Skoll went on to become the internet giant’s first president and first full-time employee in 1996, working alongside Pierre Omidyar. During his tenure, he initiated the eBay Foundation, which received pre-IPO stock that later reached a valuation of $32 million. Following his departure from full-time employment, he was eBay’s second-largest stockholder, cashing out a portion of his holdings for approximately $2 billion, which served as the foundation for his subsequent philanthropic and media ventures.

Prior to eBay, Skoll earned a Bachelor of Applied Science with honours in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1987 and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995, after which he founded Skoll Engineering, an information technology consulting firm, and Micros on the Move Ltd., a computer rental firm. He also established Capricorn Investment Group for socially responsible investing. In 2004, Skoll founded Participant Media to produce films addressing critical social issues and inspiring engagement. His early productions, including ‘Syriana,’ ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ ‘North Country,’ and ‘Murderball,’ garnered 11 Academy Award nominations in 2006.

In 2022, he acquired a minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, diversifying his investment portfolio. In 2024, Skoll announced that Participant Media, after two decades of groundbreaking storytelling, would be closing its operations.