eBay

California
Retailing, Software and Services

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

eBay, an e-commerce company, limited the sale of legal firearm components and has removed Dr. Seuss' books from its site due to "offensive imagery," while other offensive and violent material has been sold using eBay's platform. eBay scored a 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, eBay increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. eBay forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. eBay provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children. The company supports the Equality Act and has funded Planned Parenthood. eBay opposed North Carolina's HB2 bill and supports BLM. eBay discriminates against religious organizations in its charitable giving. The company is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race. For these reasons, eBay receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). In 2022, eBay banned users from reselling six Dr. Seuss books that had recently been pulled from publication due to “offensive” imagery, although it has allowed the sale of several overtly racist and/or anti-Semitic works as well as a Black Lives Matter-supporting T-shirt that depicts a police officer being executed (3)(4).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay‘s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). eBay does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3)(4).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay supports the Equality Act and signed the HRC’s amicus brief that voiced opposition to North Carolina’s HB2 bill (1)(2). Then-CEO Devin Wenig sent out a large, thinly-veiled denunciation of Trump to all staff in the form of a memo after his victory in the 2016 election (3). Current CEO Jamie Iannone has been a vocal proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement (4). eBay’s Human Rights Policy Statement declares that the company “stands against legislation that opposes (LGBTQ) rights” (5). In 2007, eBay banned the sale of many firearm components that are legal for purchase in most states and has made the guidelines stricter as time has gone on (6). eBay‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (7)(8). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders.

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children (1)(2)(3)(4). eBay‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (5)(6). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company has contributed funds to Planned Parenthood (7). eBay has pledged support to Black Lives Matter and related causes (8)(9)(10)(11)(12). The company is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race (13)(14).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

eBay‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. eBay has not used its PAC donations or lobbied for ideological purposes (3)(4)(5).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 24, 2024

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Voting History

Date
ESG Category
Proponent
Summary of ResolutionMgmt RecTotal Vote % in Favor
6/21/23GovernanceJohn CheveddenGive the Owners of 10% of Common Stock the Power to Call a Special Shareholder MeetingAgainst47.40%
6/8/22GovernanceJohn CheveddenSpecial Meetings - Reduce Ownership Req. to 10%Against48.88%
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