eBay Inc. will be acquiring Braintree, a leading payment platform for total consideration of approximately $800 million in cash. Braintree powers some of the leading online and mobile-first start-ups such as such as Airbnb, OpenTable, TaskRabbit and Uber. Once the acquisition is completed, Braintree will continue to operate as a separate service within PayPal under the continued leadership of Braintree CEO Bill Ready, who will report to PayPal President David Marcus. Braintree’s management team and employees are expected to stay in place.
“Braintree is a perfect fit with PayPal,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. “Bill Ready and his team add complementary talent and technology that we believe will help accelerate PayPal’s global leadership in mobile payments. Together, we expect that PayPal and Braintree also will accelerate our leadership in supporting developers who are creating innovative solutions for next generation commerce startups.”
“PayPal was built on helping entrepreneurs grow great businesses online. I’m thrilled to welcome the Braintree team,” said PayPal President David Marcus. “With this deal I believe that we will accelerate our capabilities for developers, entrepreneurs, merchants and companies that are building the future.”
Braintree CEO Bill Ready said: “The alignment with PayPal means Braintree can continue to push the boundaries of innovation while expanding into new markets with increased speed and confidence. Our current customers and developer community can expect the same level of support and partnership they’ve always enjoyed, coupled with more resources.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close late in the fourth quarter of 2013.