Born in Paris to Iranian parents, Omidyar grew up in Maryland.  The Ebay founder said of the American financial system, “financial markets were supposed to be free and open, but everywhere I looked I saw well connected insiders profiting from information and access that was denied ordinary people.”  Omidyar wanted a truly free and open market, and he achieved this by avoiding the traditional top-down hierarchy.  The first online sale was a superman lunchbox that sold for 22 dollars, marking the beginning of a new generation of auction shopping.  Today the New York Times reports that roughly 75,000 Americans made their living entirely from Ebay in 2002.

*posted July 4 - July 8, 2005