Jeffrey 'Jeff' Stuart Skoll, O.C., is a Canadian engineer, entrepreneur, and billionaire co-founder and first President of eBay. Born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1965, his interest in computers began early. His entrepreneurial drive was fueled by his father's early death from cancer, which prompted his father to discuss his regret at not having had the time to do everything he had planned in life.

Skoll holds a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with honors from the University of Toronto (1987) and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business (1995). His philosophy centers on using technology and business to create positive social change—the core mission of his subsequent ventures.

• eBay (Co-founder & First President): The core wealth generator, the global online auction website. He wrote the original business plan and led the company's early growth.
• Participant Media (Founder & Chairman): His media company that produces films and television shows with themes that promote social responsibility and activism (e.g., An Inconvenient Truth, Syriana).
• Skoll Foundation (Founder): The major philanthropic vehicle that invests in social entrepreneurs working to solve global problems.
• Academic Background: He holds an MBA from Stanford and an engineering degree from University of Toronto.

Jeff Skoll's strategic genius was his early pivot to the Internet. He joined eBay in 1996, writing the business plan that guided the company from a startup to a global platform. He was integral to its growth before leaving in 1998.

His post-eBay career is entirely dedicated to social impact: he founded the Skoll Foundation in 1999 (endowed with $1 billion of eBay stock) and Participant Media in 2004. Participant produces critically acclaimed films that raise public awareness of critical social issues (e.g., An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck), leveraging the power of storytelling to inspire action. He is a Giving Pledge signatory and committed to tackling global threats like climate change and pandemics. His structural contribution is pioneering the social entrepreneurship movement and proving the viability of impact investing through media.

Jeff Skoll is a major global philanthropist and a Giving Pledge signatory. His structural social impact is immense, tied to eBay's role in democratizing commerce, and his foundations' role in pioneering social entrepreneurship and impact filmmaking (Participant Media). His $100 million Skoll Global Threats Fund focuses on pandemics, climate change, and water security.

His career is a powerful narrative of an entrepreneur who successfully leveraged a high-tech fortune to pursue a progressive and optimistic worldview—that change can be achieved by inspiring participation.

Jeff Skoll maintains the professional, earnest style of a technology visionary and social entrepreneur. His attire is consistently pragmatic and high-quality, favoring business casual wear. His aesthetic reflects his stability, his intellectual depth, and his commitment to social change.

Residing in California, his luxury is the immense security and autonomy derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and creative media production.