When eBay was founded more than 20 years ago, it revolutionized the e-commerce industry and became a platform for 134 million users. Last month, however, a scandal inside the Silicon Valley giant was uncovered when a note on page 105 of an otherwise dull annual financial disclosure hinted at an inquiry from the U.S. attorney about the stalking and harassment of the editor and publisher of an online newsletter.
The couple, Ina and David Steiner, have been married for more than 30 years and work together from their home. They publish a news website called e-commerce bites, which covers industry news about eBay, Amazon and Etsy. What began as a mission to help people who sell stuff on the auction site soon morphed into a terror campaign, with the Steiners as the target.
The couple began receiving a barrage of emails for newsletters they hadn’t signed up for, as well as messages on Twitter and voicemails, all with threatening and vulgar content. Boxes of live cockroaches and spiders were sent to their home, pornography was sent to their neighbours, and a book about surviving the loss of a spouse was addressed to David. To make matters worse, David noticed a van and later a car following him.
The investigation revealed that the funeral wreath sent to the Steiners was bought with a gift card from a grocery store in Silicon Valley near eBay’s headquarters. The FBI then took over the case and, ten months later, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts announced the indictments of six employees and contractors from eBay.
The complaint alleged that the victims were targeted because eBay Executives were unhappy with the coverage of eBay on the couple’s website. It was also revealed that eBay’s then-CEO Devin Wenig had shared a link to an article written by Ina and had asked to “crush this lady.”
The current U.S. attorney has said the investigation into eBay is ongoing. Steve Weimer, former Chief Communications Officer at eBay, was fired for cause and now runs the Boys and Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley. While Wenig resigned from eBay in September of 2019 with a 57 million dollar exit package, he maintains he was never aware of the employee’s conduct.
Ina and David Steiner are now pursuing a civil case against eBay and its former Executives. The case stands as a reminder of the power of a corporation and of the fragility of individual rights.
This article was written by Jurno.