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PayPal Holdings, Inc.

Digital payments and fintechFounded 1998
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

PayPal: CEO History

3 leaders · 2015 to present

Who is the CEO of PayPal?

Enrique Lores is the CEO of PayPal, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Dan Schulman, from 2015.

Current CEO
Enrique Lores (since 2026)
First CEO
Dan Schulman (2015)
Leaders documented
3
Founded
1998
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Enrique LoresPresident and Chief Executive Officer2026Present< 1
Alex ChrissPresident and Chief Executive Officer202320263
Dan SchulmanPresident and Chief Executive Officer201520238
Who was CEO of PayPal before Enrique Lores?
Alex Chriss was CEO of PayPal from 2023 to 2026, before Enrique Lores took over in 2026.

Company Overview

PayPal grew out of the 2000 merger of Confinity and X.com, became the default way to pay on eBay, was owned by eBay from 2002 to 2015, and has been an independent Nasdaq company (PYPL) since July 2015. Today it runs the PayPal wallet and checkout button, Venmo in the U.S., Braintree for large merchants such as marketplaces and ride-hailing apps, Xoom for remittances, Zettle for in-person payments, Paidy in Japan, and the PYUSD stablecoin. In 2025 it handled about $1.79 trillion of payment volume and earned $33.17 billion of revenue. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. PayPal was established in December 1998 as Confinity in Palo Alto, California, by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Luke Nosek, merging with Elon Musk's X.com in March 2000 to invent online payment transfers and evolving into a global payments network headquartered in San Jose.

Enrique Lores

President and Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

0 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Reorganized PayPal in April 2026 around checkout, consumer financial services and Venmo, and payment services and crypto; launched a multi-year cost program with a reported 20% headcount reduction; rejected the 2026 Stripe/Advent approach as too low.

Legacy

Former HP Inc. CEO (2019-2026) and PayPal board chair; replaced Alex Chriss as CEO effective March 1, 2026. In his first full quarter (Q2 2026) PayPal beat estimates and raised full-year EPS guidance.

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Alex Chriss

President and Chief Executive Officer

2023 – 2026

3 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Cut about 9% of staff in early 2024, launched Fastlane guest checkout and PayPal Ads, and repriced Braintree volume to favor profit over growth.

Legacy

Joined from Intuit in September 2023 after Dan Schulman. Margins and buybacks improved during his tenure, but branded checkout growth stayed slow, and the board replaced him with Enrique Lores effective March 1, 2026.

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Dan Schulman

President and Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2023

8 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Schulman led PayPal through its 2015 separation from eBay.

Legacy

He bought Honey in 2020 and Paidy in 2021, and active accounts passed 400 million. Alex Chriss succeeded him in September 2023.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

PayPal's biggest risks are take-rate compression, Apple Pay and Shop Pay competition, Stripe and Adyen pressure, regulation, fraud, leadership execution, and merchant steering. The company has room to keep growing, but management has to keep executing on branded checkout relevance, Venmo monetization, Braintree discipline, AI-powered risk tools, strategic reorganization while competitors and customers respond to the same market pressures.

PayPal CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Alex Chriss and what was his strategy as CEO of PayPal?

Alex Chriss was President and CEO of PayPal from September 2023 until early 2026, when Enrique Lores replaced him. Known as a product-first, customer-obsessed operator, Chriss launched a sweeping turnaround strategy focused on streamlining corporate bureaucracy, accelerating product velocity (Fastlane, PPCP, PayPal Ads), optimizing pricing on Braintree, and driving profitable transaction margin growth.

Who was Dan Schulman and what was his impact as CEO of PayPal from 2015 to 2023?

Dan Schulman served as CEO of PayPal from its historic 2015 spinoff from eBay until 2023. Schulman transformed PayPal into an independent financial leader, grew revenue from $9B to $27B+, increased active accounts from 160M to 430M+, acquired Honey Science and iZettle, and forged historic peace pacts with Visa and Mastercard.

Who was Peter Thiel and what was his role as CEO of early PayPal?

Peter Thiel co-founded Confinity in 1998 and served as CEO and Chairman of PayPal through its key 2002 IPO and $1.5 billion acquisition by eBay. Thiel shaped PayPal's early culture, anti-fraud innovations, and famous market growth strategies.

What was Elon Musk's tenure as CEO of PayPal/X.com in 2000?

Elon Musk served as CEO of the merged X.com/PayPal entity for nine months in 2000 following the merger between X.com and Confinity. Musk championed the viral email payment system and wanted to rebrand the entire company around the X.com brand before the board reinstated Peter Thiel as CEO during Musk's honeymoon flight.

Who was Bill Harris and what was his early role at PayPal?

Bill Harris, former CEO of Intuit, served as the first CEO of the merged X.com/Confinity company for several months in early 2000, bringing financial software discipline before departing over strategic differences regarding banking versus consumer payments.

Who was Meg Whitman and what was eBay's stewardship of PayPal?

Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, oversaw the $1.5 billion acquisition of PayPal in 2002 and its integration as eBay's primary checkout engine, growing PayPal into eBay's most valuable and fast-growing business unit.

What executive leadership team did Alex Chriss assemble at PayPal?

Alex Chriss restructured PayPal's senior leadership, bringing in top talent including Jamie Miller (Chief Financial Officer), Michelle Gill (General Manager, Small Business and Financial Services), Diego Scotti (General Manager, Consumer Group and Global Marketing), and Srini Venkatesan (Chief Technology Officer).

How has Alex Chriss restructured PayPal's corporate culture for speed?

Chriss flattened management layers, eliminated redundant non-core initiatives, established clear P&L accountability for consumer and small business units, and instituted rapid quarterly product launch cycles (such as PayPal First Look) to re-energize innovation.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.