The Founders

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NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY THE NEW YORKER, this national bestseller offers a gripping account of PayPal’s origins and the visionaries behind its rise, including Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman. These founders and early employees have become a powerful network in the tech industry, influencing major companies like Tesla, Facebook, and SpaceX. Their contributions have driven significant innovation and entrepreneurship in the twenty-first century, yet their early struggles remain largely untold. Before becoming icons, they were pioneers of a scrappy online payments start-up that faced fierce competition, internal conflicts, rampant online fraud, and the dot-com bust. The story of their journey—marked by uncertainty and resilience—reveals how they laid the groundwork for today’s digital landscape, including cashless transactions and mobile money transfers. Award-winning author Jimmy Soni delves into PayPal’s tumultuous beginnings through extensive interviews and internal documents, highlighting the unsung heroes who played vital roles in its success. Described as “an intensely magnetic chronicle” and “engrossing,” this narrative showcases the collaborative spirit that transformed a small start-up into a cornerstone of modern technology, illustrating how their collective efforts forever changed the world.