When I started eBay, it was a hobby, an experiment to see if people could use the Internet to be empowered through access to an efficient market. I actually wasn't thinking about it in terms of a social impact. It was really about helping people connect around a sphere of interest so they could do business.

I built a system simple enough to sustain itself.

I was just pursuing what I enjoyed doing. I mean, I was pursuing my passion.

A lot of people don’t just go ahead and try things. They’ll have an idea and they’ll say — they’ll convince themselves or other people will convince them that it can’t be done. You know, one or the other. Actually I think that the first is even more dangerous and more serious. It’s convincing yourself that it can’t be done.

Whatever future you're building, don't try to program everything.

Give the individual the power to be a producer as well as a consumer.

When you don't know what to expect, prepare for the unexpected.