This week the world is celebrating the twentieth birthday of the World Wide Web. I often wonder what the Internet (and the world) would be like if immigrant entrepreneurs were not in the United States during those twenty years. Many immigrant entrepreneurs have not only changed the Internet, but have transformed the way the world operates. Many of these entrepreneurs have become household names (Google’s Sergey Brin comes to mind), but many others have remained relatively unknown despite their innovations becoming wildly popular and influential. So far, this week’s featured American Immigrant has largely remained in the latter category.
Pierre Omidyar is the founder of eBay (need I explain what eBay is?). Born in France, Pierre Omidyar is an Iranian-American who was only 28 when he developed the original concept behind what has become the world’s largest auction site. So many Americans have used eBay as a platform to gain extra income or find that impossible-to-find item – yet, I wonder, how many of those Americans would have been able to use eBay so easily had Omidyar not been an American?
Perhaps even more laudable than his work at eBay is Pierre Omidyar’s philanthropic endeavors. Mr. Omidyar and his wife have established the Omidyar Network with the “belief that every person has the potential to make a difference.” The Omidyar Network provides financial support, through grants and investments, to organizations that it believes can improve their communities.
Pierre Omidyar has been a great benefit to the United States and we thank him for his contributions. Lets hope that the United States benefits just as much from the next generation of Internet innovators, and lets make sure the United States is best positioned to do so.