Last Friday, John Donahoe joined President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, other senior officials and company leaders for a CEO roundtable at the White House on hiring the long-term unemployed. There, they discussed how the government and the private sector could work together to create economic opportunity for all Americans.
In his State of the Union address Jan. 28, Obama announced his initiative to address long-term unemployment, and the roundtable with top business leaders was a part of that. eBay Inc. is guided by its purpose of generating more opportunity for all, and the company is known in Washington, D.C., circles for creating unique economic opportunities for entrepreneurs across America.
“eBay Inc. was founded on the idea that the human connection can be enhanced by technology to create inclusive commerce that empowers everyone,” said Richard Nash, head of government relations for the Americas. “We were honored to join the president to discuss these important issues and the significant role that eBay Inc. can play in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and retailers in every corner of the globe.”
Today, there are approximately 3.9 million long-term unemployed Americans, accounting for about 38 percent of the unemployed population. Recognizing that businesses succeed and economies grow when we are fully leveraging our workforce, eBay Inc. has endorsed the administration’s best practices for hiring and recruiting the long-term unemployed.
Following the CEO roundtable, Obama and Biden held a press conference to discuss the partnership with the private sector. To watch the press conference and learn more about the administration’s initiative, please click here.
Also in Washington, PayPal President David Marcus shared PayPal’s vision for growth with government officials including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.).
“The visit was an excellent opportunity to showcase how PayPal -- as an industry leader in mobile -- is uniquely positioned to leverage its wealth of technology and insights to create new commerce experiences for customers,” explained Ali Gabel, manager of federal government relations. “So many policymakers in Washington are interested in the future of mobile and how the competitive environment will develop. PayPal has a great story to tell."
During his meetings, Marcus emphasized to officials the company's belief that without trust, the Internet and mobile marketplaces will fail to reach their full potential. Security and trust are mutually reinforcing, and it is hard to build consumer trust without ensuring the safety and security of a consumer’s personal information, whether it is financial data or transaction history.
Later this year, Donahoe will have another opportunity to meet with policymakers in Washington. Last year, he was appointed by President Obama to his Export Council, which is the principal national advisory committee on international trade. As a member of the President’s Export Council, Donahoe will have the opportunity to meet with the president, his senior staff and other private sector leaders to discuss how the U.S. can better promote exports. According to eBay Inc.'s Commerce 3.0 study, over 90 percent of commercial U.S. sellers export. Cross-border trade is another way in which eBay Inc. enables entrepreneurship around the world, and Donahoe's participation in the Council will give eBay Inc. an opportunity to advance our customers’ interests at the highest levels of U.S. government.
To read more about eBay’s efforts to engage on these important policy issues in Washington and how you can get involved, please visit eBay MainStreet.
Photo: President Obama, right, and Vice President Biden at the White House after the CEO roundtable. Courtesy of eBay Inc.