Intuit vs PayPal: Founders, CEOs and History
Intuit was founded in 1983 by Scott Cook, Tom Proulx and is led by Sasan Goodarzi. PayPal was founded in 1998 by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and is led by Enrique Lores.
Company facts
Founders
Intuit
Scott Cook
Scott Cook co-founded Intuit in 1983 after working in brand management at Procter & Gamble and as a consultant at Bain & Company. He served as CEO until 1994, when Bill Campbell took over, and has remained on the board.
Tom Proulx
Tom Proulx was a Stanford University student when he joined Scott Cook in 1983 and wrote the original Quicken program. He led product development during Intuit's early years and later left the company's day-to-day management.
PayPal
Max Levchin
PayPal possesses arguably the most well-known, mythological, and influential founding story in the entire history of Silicon Valley, famously creating the 'PayPal Mafia', a concentrated group of effective, idiosyncratic founders who went on to literally build…
Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel served as an early strategic leader and CEO during the period when PayPal chose payments over broader online banking.
Luke Nosek
Luke Nosek co-founded Confinity with Max Levchin and Peter Thiel in 1998 and led marketing and strategy in PayPal's early years.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk founded X.com in 1999 as an online bank after selling Zip2. X.com merged with Confinity in March 2000, and Musk served as CEO of the combined company until the board replaced him with Peter Thiel later that year.
CEOs and their tenures
Intuit
- Brad Smith2008–2018
Former CEO & Executive Chairman
He left Intuit with a recurring-revenue cloud business and served as executive chairman until 2022.
Source - Sasan Goodarzi2019–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Revenue grew from $6.8 billion in fiscal 2019 to $21.4 billion in fiscal 2026 under Goodarzi, though the 2026 restructuring and slower TurboTax units drove a sharp share-price decline.
Source - Sandeep Aujla2024–present
Chief Financial Officer
CFO since August 2024, succeeding Michelle Clatterbuck.
Source
PayPal
- Alex Chriss2023–2026
President and Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source - Enrique Lores2026–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source
Timeline: Intuit and PayPal side by side
1984Intuit
Quicken Launches
Intuit releases Quicken, its first personal finance program, built to mimic a paper checkbook.
1992Intuit
QuickBooks Launches
Intuit introduces QuickBooks, accounting software written in plain language for small business owners.
1993Intuit
IPO and ChipSoft Merger
Intuit lists on Nasdaq and merges with ChipSoft, the maker of TurboTax.
1995Intuit
Microsoft Deal Abandoned
Microsoft drops its 1994 agreement to buy Intuit after the U.S. Justice Department sues to block it.
1998PayPal
Confinity Founded
PayPal traces its origins to Confinity and the early X.com online payments era.
2002PayPal
IPO and eBay Acquisition
PayPal went public and was acquired by eBay in 2002.
2015PayPal
PayPal Spins Off From eBay
PayPal became an independent public company again in 2015.
2016Intuit
Quicken Sold
Intuit sells Quicken to H.I.G. Capital to focus on QuickBooks and TurboTax in the cloud.
2020Intuit
Credit Karma Acquired
Intuit completes its acquisition of Credit Karma in December 2020.
2021Intuit
Mailchimp Acquired
Intuit closes its roughly $12 billion purchase of Mailchimp in November 2021.
2023Intuit
Intuit Assist and GenOS
Intuit launches its generative AI operating system GenOS and the Intuit Assist assistant across its products.
2024Intuit
Mint Shut Down
Intuit closes Mint in March 2024 and moves users to Credit Karma.
2025PayPal
$33.172B FY2025 Revenue
PayPal reported $33.172 billion of revenue and $5.233 billion of net income.
2026Intuit
17% Workforce Cut
In May 2026 Intuit announces about 3,000 job cuts and reduced Mailchimp investment; shares fall about 20%.
2026Intuit
Revenue Tops $20 Billion
Fiscal 2026 revenue reaches $21.4 billion, and Mailchimp becomes a separate operating segment from August 1, 2026.
2026PayPal
Enrique Lores Named CEO
PayPal appointed Enrique Lores President and CEO effective March 1, 2026.
2026PayPal
Strategic Reorganization Announced
PayPal reorganized around checkout, consumer financial services, Venmo, payment services, and crypto.
2026PayPal
Q2 2026 Beat and Raised Guidance
Q2 2026 revenue rose 5% to $8.68 billion and TPV rose 10% to $486.4 billion; full-year non-GAAP EPS guidance was raised to about $5.38.
2026PayPal
Stripe and Advent Takeover Approach Ends
PayPal's board reportedly rejected a $60.50-per-share approach valuing it above $53 billion; the Stripe and Advent consortium dropped its pursuit on August 28, 2026.
Acquisitions
Intuit
- Mailchimp2021$12B
- Credit Karma2020$8.1B
- ChipSoft (TurboTax)1993Undisclosed
PayPal
- Paidy2021$2.7B
- Honey2020$4B
- IZettle2018$2.2B
- Simility2018$120M
- Xoom2015$890M
- Braintree2013$800M
Questions about Intuit vs PayPal
Who is the CEO of Intuit Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc.?
Intuit Inc. is led by Sasan Goodarzi and PayPal Holdings, Inc. is led by Enrique Lores. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Intuit Inc. founded vs PayPal Holdings, Inc.?
Intuit Inc. was founded in 1983 — 15 years before PayPal Holdings, Inc., which was founded in 1998. Intuit Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger PayPal Holdings, Inc..
How many employees does Intuit Inc. have compared to PayPal Holdings, Inc.?
Intuit Inc. employs approximately 18,200 people, while PayPal Holdings, Inc. employs approximately 23,800. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has the larger workforce at 23,800 employees, compared to Intuit Inc.'s 18,200. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Intuit Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc. headquartered?
Both Intuit Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Intuit Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc.?
Intuit Inc. was founded by Scott Cook, Tom Proulx. PayPal Holdings, Inc. was founded by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Elon Musk.
Which company has a longer operating history — Intuit Inc. or PayPal Holdings, Inc.?
Intuit Inc. has been operating for approximately 43 years, making it the more established of the two companies. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has been in operation for around 28 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Intuit vs PayPal overview