--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In February of 1996, about six months…" description: "\"In February of 1996, about six months after I created eBay, I started receiving a spate of complaints. Everyone was complaining about each other. I fel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/pierre-omidyar-9759_about_in-february-of-1996-about-six-months-aft_2011476.jpg" --- # In February of 1996, about six months after I created… ![“In February of 1996, about six months after I created eBay, I started receiving a spate of complaints. Everyone was complaining about each other. I felt very much like I was a parent who had to adjudicate the brothers beating each other up.” quote by Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/pierre-omidyar-9759_about_in-february-of-1996-about-six-months-aft_2011476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/pierre-omidyar-9759_about_in-february-of-1996-about-six-months-aft_2011476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/pierre-omidyar-9759_about_in-february-of-1996-about-six-months-aft_2011476.jpg) > “In February of 1996, about six months after I created eBay, I started receiving a spate of complaints. Everyone was complaining about each other. I felt very much like I was a parent who had to adjudicate the brothers beating each other up.” [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early leadership involves mediating conflicts, similar to parenting. **In simple terms:** Managing disputes feels like parenting. Key Takeaway Develop fair conflict‑resolution skills early. Themes leadership conflict resolution parenting Mood reflective determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - startup team disputes - community moderation - family disagreements - customer service Key Concepts organizational behavior ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay impartial when mediating? - What boundaries are needed for healthy conflict resolution? A Different Perspective Mediation can be emotionally draining. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [February](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/february/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) ## Related quotes > [In the early days of eBay, I articulated for the very first time this belief that people are basically good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/in-the-early-days-of-ebay-i-articulated-for-the-very-first-time-this/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [What makes eBay successful.. the real value and the real power at eBay is the community. It's the buyers and sellers coming together and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/what-makes-ebay-successful-the-real-value-and-the-real-power-at-ebay/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [You'll fail at some things - that's a learning experience that you need so that you can take that on to the next experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/you-ll-fail-at-some-things-that-s-a-learning-experience-that-you-need/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [By building a simple system, with just a few guiding principles, eBay was open to organic growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/by-building-a-simple-system-with-just-a-few-guiding-principles-ebay/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [I started eBay as an experiment, as a side hobby basically, while I had my day job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/i-started-ebay-as-an-experiment-as-a-side-hobby-basically-while-i-had/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [When I started eBay, it was a hobby, an experiment to see if people could use the Internet to be empowered through access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/when-i-started-ebay-it-was-a-hobby-an-experiment-to-see-if-people-2/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [Ebay's success as a company depends on the success of the community of sellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/ebay-s-success-as-a-company-depends-on-the-success-of-the-community/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [When I started eBay, it was a hobby, an experiment to see if people could use the Internet to be empowered through access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/when-i-started-ebay-it-was-a-hobby-an-experiment-to-see-if-people/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [eBay's business is based on enabling someone to do business with another person, and to do that, they first have to develop some measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/ebay-s-business-is-based-on-enabling-someone-to-do-business-with/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [BLACKBERRY. Also know as "Crackberry" for it's addictive qualities. It is the modern girl's weapon. It allow her to bid on ebay while walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-garcia/blackberry-also-know-as-crackberry-for-it-s-addictive-qualities-it-is/) [Nina Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-garcia/) > [I usually bring a point and shoot with me so I can go out on the weekends and shoot a bit. I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-yelchin/i-usually-bring-a-point-and-shoot-with-me-so-i-can-go-out-on-the/) [Anton Yelchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-yelchin/) > [The pace at eBay was frantic and urgent. We knew that if we didn't move fast, somebody would come into the market and quash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-skoll/the-pace-at-ebay-was-frantic-and-urgent-we-knew-that-if-we-didn-t/) [Jeffrey Skoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-skoll/) > [A captivating moment was when I realized that people, including myself, were not saying, 'I just bought an item on eBay.' They were saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-meeker/a-captivating-moment-was-when-i-realized-that-people-including-myself/) [Mary Meeker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-meeker/) > [I toyed with making portraits based on people's discarded shopping lists found on the street, or old diaries bought on eBay, or other forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-blackall/i-toyed-with-making-portraits-based-on-people-s-discarded-shopping/) [Sophie Blackall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-blackall/) > [When you're paid $29 for something and 30 or 40 years later you're seeing it on eBay with pages going for $199 or more, it's like, "Dammit!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royer/when-you-re-paid-29-for-something-and-30-or-40-years-later-you-re/) [Mike Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royer/) ## More by Pierre Omidyar > [eBay's business is based on enabling someone to do business with another person, and to do that, they first have to develop some measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/ebay-s-business-is-based-on-enabling-someone-to-do-business-with/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [I built a system simple enough to sustain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/i-built-a-system-simple-enough-to-sustain-itself/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [If you give people the opportunity to do the right thing, you'll rarely be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/if-you-give-people-the-opportunity-to-do-the-right-thing-you-ll/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [When you don't know what to expect, prepare for the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/when-you-don-t-know-what-to-expect-prepare-for-the-unexpected/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [A well-functioning microfinance bank can actually be a profitable business as well. So it became a perfect proof point that, through business, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/a-well-functioning-microfinance-bank-can-actually-be-a-profitable/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [You should pursue your passion. If you're passionate about something and you work hard, then I think you'll be successful. If you start a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/you-should-pursue-your-passion-if-you-re-passionate-about-something/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [In terms of my belief that one individual can make a difference - that belief comes from my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/in-terms-of-my-belief-that-one-individual-can-make-a-difference-that/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [Microloans enable the poor to lift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/microloans-enable-the-poor-to-lift-themselves-out-of-poverty-through/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [You have to really believe in what you're doing, be passionate enough about it so that you will put in the hours and hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/you-have-to-really-believe-in-what-you-re-doing-be-passionate-enough/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [People were doing business with one another through the Internet already, through bulletin boards. But on the Web, we could make it interactive, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/people-were-doing-business-with-one-another-through-the-internet/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [I was raised with the notion that you can do pretty much do anything you want. I always kind of just went ahead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/i-was-raised-with-the-notion-that-you-can-do-pretty-much-do-anything/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [Everyone is born equally capable but lacks equal opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/everyone-is-born-equally-capable-but-lacks-equal-opportunity/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [You should pursue your passion. If you're passionate about something and you work hard, then I think you will be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/you-should-pursue-your-passion-if-you-re-passionate-about-something-2/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [Technologists come at a problem from the point of view that the system is working a certain way, and if I engage in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/technologists-come-at-a-problem-from-the-point-of-view-that-the/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [I developed an interest in supporting independent journalists in a way that leverages their work to the greatest extent possible, all in support of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/i-developed-an-interest-in-supporting-independent-journalists-in-a/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) [Explore all 70 Pierre Omidyar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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