Trending Now - Ryan Cohen's Ebay Acquisition Plans Spark Investor Confusion
WHO:
Business Insider - Ryan Cohen stated, "I did not want to be the CEO of GameStop. I want to be the CEO of eBay."
Business Insider - Ryan Cohen, CEO of GameStop
Business Insider - TD Bank
Observer - Investors
WHAT:
Business Insider - Cohen claimed he has a $35 billion compensation package tied to hitting market cap and profit milestones, which an eBay deal could help unlock.
Observer - Cohen is selling personal items on eBay, including a used pair of socks that drew bids of over $14,000.
Business Insider - Ryan Cohen disclosed that GameStop made an unsolicited bid of about $56 billion for eBay.
Business Insider - Cohen stated that GameStop has about $9 billion in cash and that TD Bank expressed confidence in placing roughly $20 billion in debt to finance the bid.
Business Insider - Cohen proposed that existing shareholders of eBay would receive $28 billion, which is a 40% premium from when GameStop started buying eBay stock.
Observer - Cohen is selling personal collectibles on eBay to help fund the acquisition.
WHERE:
Business Insider - The bid is for eBay, an e-commerce giant.
WHEN:
Business Insider - Cohen's bid for eBay was disclosed earlier in the week.
Business Insider - Cohen appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on a Monday.
WHY:
Kotaku - Cohen expressed, "I wasn’t passionate about GameStop. I’m passionate about eBay. I believe in eBay’s business."
Business Insider - Cohen believes he can manage eBay more efficiently and increase its profitability through cost-cutting.
Business Insider - Cohen criticized eBay's leadership for selling "hundreds of millions of dollars of stock" without buying shares themselves, claiming they are "just milking it."
HOW:
Business Insider - Cohen mentioned he pays his personal assistant out of his own pocket and that whoever GameStop hires for a recently posted private project manager job would be compensated the same way.
Business Insider - Cohen described his financing plan as "half cash, half stock."
Business Insider - Cohen stated he would not take a salary if he became CEO of eBay, similar to his current position at GameStop.
(UPDATED May 9, 2026 23:12 UTC)
Ryan Cohen has made it clear that he prefers to be the CEO of eBay rather than GameStop, stating, "I did not want to be the CEO of GameStop. I want to be the CEO of eBay." He also revealed a $35 billion compensation package tied to market cap and profit milestones, which he believes a deal with eBay could help unlock, while he’s currently selling personal items on eBay, including a used pair of socks that attracted bids over $14,000. Cohen emphasized his lack of passion for GameStop, saying, "I wasn’t passionate about GameStop. I’m passionate about eBay," and noted that he pays his personal assistant out of pocket, indicating that the new hire for GameStop's private project manager role would be compensated similarly.
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(UPDATED May 9, 2026 17:15 UTC)
Ryan Cohen, the CEO of GameStop, has disclosed that the company made an unsolicited bid of about $56 billion for eBay, backed by approximately $9 billion in cash and support from TD Bank, which is willing to provide around $20 billion in debt to finance the acquisition. Cohen proposed that eBay's existing shareholders would receive $28 billion, representing a 40% premium from when GameStop began purchasing eBay stock, and he is even selling personal collectibles on eBay to help fund the deal. He believes he can manage eBay more efficiently and criticized its leadership for selling off significant amounts of stock without buying shares themselves, stating that they are "just milking it."