A Memo to eBay's Next CEO. Quoted in Silicon Valley Business Journal
Allison Levitsky, Tech Industry Reporter for the Silicon Valley Business Journal writes a brilliant letter to the next CEO of eBay. I was quoted extensively in the article.
This individual will have a lot of work cut out for them and I shared my perspective on what they are walking into.
New York-based e-commerce consultant Rick Watson said Facebook or Google could hypothetically make sense as potential buyers.
“The people who are the most likely to acquire eBay are the people who don’t necessarily need a lot of what eBay is,” Watson said. “Why does Amazon need more marketplace technology and a confused brand? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Watson, a critic of the activist investors, has blasted eBay’s use as an “investment vehicle” over the last five years. The company’s focus on playing to Wall Street has been at the expense of strategy, management and innovation, he said
Allison’s article is very interesting and highlights a number of key points:
What will you do with the activist investor demands?
How will you differentiate eBay from other players, while maintaining your profitability?
Are you ready to reorg the behemoth? eBay is woefully mismanaged in this department.
It’s a tough job.
