Business

Ebay, PayPal Outline Plans After Split

Published

11 years ago

July 17, 2015

Oakland Post

This photo combination shows logos for eBay, left, and PayPal, outside the companies' corporate headquarters in San Jose, Calif. When eBay and PayPal split up on Friday, July 17, 2015, they'll face different challenges than they did as a combined company. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Jeff Chiu)

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Jeff Chiu)

Mae Anderson, ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When eBay and PayPal split up on Friday, they’ll face different challenges than they did as a combined company.

E-commerce company eBay first said in September 2014 it would split off its payments unit PayPal, in order to focus the two companies on growing profits individually. Investors, including activist Carl Icahn, had lobbied for the movie.

Though the split happens Friday, PayPal starts trading on the Nasdaq under the “PYPL” ticker on Monday, while San Jose, California-based eBay will keep trading under the “EBAY” symbol.

As separate units, eBay faces stiff competition from Amazon and other online retailers that have gained market share from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. It also has to contend with the lingering effects from a cybersecurity breach and changes in Google’s search algorithms that led to fewer eBay results popping up in Google searches.

On the other hand, online payment system PayPal, which had long been eBay’s fastest-growing segment, will have to compete with mobile wallets like Apple and Android Pay and online payment offerings from Chinese e-commerce retailer Alibaba and other retailers.

In a call after the two units posted quarterly profit that topped Wall Street’s expectations, PayPal President Dan Schulman and eBay President Devin Wenig each outlined their plans for the two units following the split:
EBAY

EBay, which has been streamlining its business by selling some units, now is focusing on reinvigorating its marketplace business, which includes the e-commerce arm of eBay. It stumbled last year when it had to deal with a change in Google’s algorithms that made eBay products come up in search results less often.

On Thursday, Wenig said the company now is asking sellers to include more detailed product identifiers on their product listings, which seems to be helping search results.

Wenig said the company is also focusing on gaining traffic through social media. It was an early adapter of shoppable ads on Facebook and Pinterest and has increased efforts on Tumblr Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter’s Periscope to drive traffic and user growth.

“While still small relative to our more established channels, traffic from social channels is growing over 100 percent year-on-year in the U.S.,” Wenig said.

Wenig also reiterated eBay’s plan to focus on small- and medium-size merchants that make of 70 percent of the global retail market.

“Our absolute priority is to improve our competitiveness and drive more stable profitable growth over the long-term,” Wenig said.
PAYPAL

PayPal’s goal going forward is to get more merchants to accept its payments in stores. It also wants PayPal users to pay with the service two or three times a week rather than the current average of two or three times a month.

Meanwhile, Schulman, who will be CEO of PayPal after the split, would like PayPal users who typically use the payment system once or twice a month, to use it two or three times a week, like millennials use its Venmo app. The Venmo app is linked to a bank account or card and lets users pay friends with a text-like note.

Schulman said the company is making some progress. The Subway app powered by PayPal-owned Paydient is the No. 2 food and beverage app in the iOS app store and can be used in 30,000 stores. And Burger King is letting users pay with PayPal in 5,000 stores.

PayPal also plans to grow internationally via its acquisition of Xoom which lets users send money from the U.S. abroad.

“We believe our technology platform, global reach and trusted brand can move PayPal from being an occasional transaction to being an integral part of consumers’ financial lives,” Schulman said.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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Up to the Job: How San Francisco’s PRC Is Providing Work Opportunities That Turn Into Lasting Stability

Each year, PRC serves more than 5,000 clients through a wide range of programs. These include housing navigation, legal advocacy to ensure access to health and public benefits, supportive housing, job and life-skills training, and residential treatment programs.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Black Leadership Council (BLC) Advocacy Day in Sacramento. BLC works to advance meaningful change through policy engagement to unlock the full potential of Black and low-income communities. Photo courtesy of PRC.

By Joe Kocurek, California Black Media

Seville Christian arrived in San Francisco in the 1990s from Kansas City, Mo., a transgender woman coming from a time and place still hostile to who she was.

San Francisco offered a deeper LGBTQ+ history and a more visible community of people like her, but even in a city known for acceptance, building a stable life from scratch was no small task.

After arriving in the city, she turned to Positive Resource Center (PRC) looking for work — and for a foothold — in a new place.

“PRC gave me my first job,” Christian said. “A simple gig — passing out magazines at the San Francisco Pride Parade.”

That first opportunity marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship with PRC, one that has seen Christian grow from client to valued employee, and eventually to policy fellow.

“Today, I’ve been with PRC for 27 years, going on 28,” she said.

Seville Christian’s decades-long relationship with PRC includes as a client, fellow and beloved employee. Photo courtesy of PRC.

Helping people access employment and build sustainable careers has been a cornerstone of PRC’s mission since its inception nearly four decades ago. In its most recent annual impact report, PRC served 443 clients through workforce development services, including career counseling, educational programs, hands-on training, and job search assistance. The average wage earned by PRC clients is $26.48 per hour — approximately 38% above San Francisco’s minimum wage.

To advance this work, organizations like PRC have benefited from funding through California’s Stop the Hate Program, which provides direct support to community-based organizations leading anti-hate initiatives.

Christian’s path was not without challenges. During some rocky years, she experienced periods of housing instability and struggled with addiction. Through PRC, she enrolled in a life-skills program that emphasized using her own lived experience as a means of helping others. The program helped set her on a path toward completing an associate’s degree and ultimately launching a career in case management.

“Today, whether someone is new to the city or has lived here their whole life, I know how to help them navigate to where they need to be,” Christian said.

Members of PRC’s Black Leadership Council meet with a lawmaker in Sacramento. Photo courtesy of PRC.

While PRC was founded to serve people living with HIV, its mission has expanded over the decades to meet the needs of people with disabilities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those facing mental health and substance use challenges.

According to PRC’s Chief of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Tasha Henneman, some of the organization’s earliest programs remain as vital today as they were at the start.

“Our emergency financial assistance program helped more than 1,200 people this year pay rent, cover medical bills, and keep the lights on,” Henneman said. “And over 1,400 people reached out for legal advocacy, resulting in more than $2.5 million in retroactive benefits unlocked.”

Beyond direct services, PRC is deeply committed to community empowerment and policy change. Programs such as the Black Leadership Council support community leaders in advocating for systemic reform, while the Black Trans Initiative focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by Black transgender individuals.

A recent study from the Williams Institute highlighted findings that 71% of transgender homicide victims in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021 were Black and that nearly a third of the transgender homicides during that period were confirmed or suspected hate crimes.

PRC’s direct and indirect services can be a lifeline for people experiencing hate and are an example of the resources people can get connected with through the state’s CA vs Hate hotline.

PRC is now also producing a film project that centers the lived experiences of Black trans clients, including individuals like Christian.

PRC welcomed guests to their annual Open House in April, an evening dedicated to connection, reflection, and learning more about the programs and people working every day to support San Franciscans experiencing housing instability, unemployment, and behavioral health challenges. Photo courtesy of PRC.

“Our film highlights the health journeys and lived experiences of some of PRC’s Black trans clients,” Henneman said. “Our goal is to give voice, visibility, and agency to the participants — and to bring their stories, both harrowing and inspirational, to policymakers and the broader public.”

The film, expected to be released later this year, is directed by Yule Caise, with assistant director Zarina Codes, a Black transgender San Francisco resident.

Today, Christian continues her relationship with PRC as an ambassador, reflecting on a journey that began with a single job opportunity and grew into a lifelong commitment to service.

“Sometimes I’ll be riding the bus or standing in a grocery store, and someone will come up to me from a women’s shelter,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, Miss Seville, I just want to thank you. You really helped me with what I was dealing with.’”

She paused, smiling.

“And in those moments,” Christian said, “I think to myself, “Well!.”

A single word that sums up pride in a journey to find the best in herself.

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11, 2026. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.