eBay have announced two new technology centers to be set up this year, one in New York and the second in Bangalore, India.
The New York center will grow to around 200 people starting with 25 moving over from Hunch which eBay recently acquired. This site will be headed up by Chris Dixon, the founder of Hunch, and will be dedicated to improving eBay’s recommendations technology. eBay really need to crack this one, they have a habit of showing me the same products that I recently purchased (I recently bought a bed on eBay and they now seem to think I want about a zillion more, rather than suggesting bed linen, other bedroom furniture and curtains which I might be interested in), or of recommending totally unsuitable products such as women’s clothes when eBay should know that I’m a man.
The second site in India will be a Global Development Center focused on the eBay marketplace and PayPal and eBay will hire up to 1000 technologists over the next three years. eBay already have a Global Development Center with 2,200 employees in Chennai India.
It looks likely with the expansion plans and new centers focused on technology that there might be a few new entrants into the “eBay Inventors Club”, an incentive program for employees who’s work results in new patent applications. There is also the “PayPalian”, the most prestigious award given to employees of PayPal, which the new team in Bangalore will hopefully also win a few of in the future.
3 Responses
This is long overdue. If you look at say Google or Apple (which I pick for no other reason than they are seriously successful companies!) they have been investing in tech and development for many years and are reaping the rewards.
Amazon too, spends cash in this area. But eBay has always lagged. Bar scale (which is no shy achievement), I’d say eBay/PayPal hasn’t broken any new tech ground for a decade. No stunning devs, no bolts from the blue etc.
These centres, as long as the boffins get some free rein to explore and speculate, should be a boon. eBay is going to have to develop significantly to still be relevant in 2022. That is their challenge, frankly.
ebay are probably still crying in their beer over skype
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