Pez-inator to replace Governator? Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, announced her official candidacy for governor of California, and her time running eBay was the source of her political and public-service interest, she revealed in her announcement speech.
In earlier years, it seemed Whitman had her eye on the entertainment industry, joining the board of DreamWorks Animation in 2005. But her dream of the top spot at Disney was dashed the same year in a public embarrassment, and it was perhaps that moment she turned her eyes to politics in a soul-searching assessment of her career.
Her role at eBay allowed her to build a political network both home and abroad. Whitman once famously claimed that whoever won in China won the world - but eBay failed in China, and the company is still trying to untangle itself from the Skype fiasco that she created.
With eBay now turning its attention to larger branded retailers and manufacturers, and with long-time eBay sellers complaining of being abandoned by her hand-picked successor, John Donahoe, it will be interesting to see if her political opponents will question her current claims about job creation during her 10-year tenure at eBay.
For eBay buyers and sellers, it will be an interesting race to watch, particularly if Whitman's performance at eBay becomes campaign fodder.
Here's what Ms. Whitman said about eBay in her speech, the fulltext of which is available on her campaign website.
eBay was the culmination of my business career. It's the place where I tested my years of experience and honed my leadership skills. But it was also much more.
At eBay, I helped millions of people create small businesses in the marketplace. I became intimately familiar with the challenges small businesses face in this country.
I came to understand that job creation is dependent on a fragile mix of circumstances - circumstances all too often disrupted by the intrusive hand of government.
And I came to love the inspired individual - a person set free to pursue his or her dreams by an open marketplace and a free society.
Government does not create wealth in this country - inspired individuals create wealth. Helping those people succeed on eBay was the privilege of a lifetime.
My interest in public service blossomed from my years at eBay. It's an interest that was fueled by my parents, both of whom served their country in the Pacific during World War II. And it's an interest that was inspired by my long friendships with Mitt Romney and John McCain.
