PayPal's Rollercoaster Ride: From Mobile Payments to Email Revolution (Founders, Elon Musk, Fees & Mafia)

The revolutionised tumultuous history of PayPal, a company that revolutionized online payments. The video chronicles its founding by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin, their initial focus on mobile payments, and their unexpected transition to email payments. The podcast recounts the cutthroat competition with Elon Musk's X.com, the tumultuous merger, and the subsequent departure of Elon Musk due to a power struggle. It also explores the company's evolution, including its battle with eBay, the implementation of fraud prevention systems, and the controversial decision to introduce transaction fees. Finally, the video highlights the impact of PayPal's alumni, who have become prominent figures in the tech world, forming a network known as the "PayPal Mafia.