Ebay Settles Insane Harassment Case

This is easily the craziest story this week.eBay and its former executives are now paying nearly $56 million to settle a case that sounds less like corporate business and more like just a horror movie script.Because back in 2019, you had David and Ina Steiner running a modest newsletter covering e -commerce news.But then when they published articles that were critical of eBay, the company leadership, they didn't just ignore it and move on with their multi -billion dollar business.Instead, you had former CEO, Devin Wenig, literally texting another executive saying it was time to crush Ina and take her down.And eBay employees, they took that very seriously.

Very, very literally.I mean, what followed was a full -blown terror campaign.We're talking live spiders, boxes of cockroaches, a bloody pig's head mask, a funeral wreath, and pornographic magazines sent to their neighbors in David's name.

And you didn't have it stopping there because eBay security staff literally flew across the country to stalk the couple.They tailed them in rental cars.They even tried to put a GPS tracker on their car.Seven former employees ended up facing criminal charges and prison time over all this.And eBay itself already paid a $3 million criminal penalty.

But there wasn't just the criminal penalty because obviously the Steiners were going to sue eBay and everyone else involved in civil court.And you now have that being settled with eBay and three former top executives shelling out $55 .7 million.You've got the couple getting nearly 49 million, eBay's donating millions to charity, and former CEO, Devin Wenick, is personally paying $2 million.Remember that, including a payout to a free speech nonprofit.Other execs are paying out 500 grand each.And you have eBay saying that what happened was wrong and reprehensible, which, yeah, those are probably the tamest words you could use for what happened.