PayPal vs Plaid: Founders, CEOs and History
PayPal was founded in 1998 by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and is led by Enrique Lores. Plaid was founded in 2013 by Zachary Perret, William Hockey and is led by Zachary Perret.
Company facts
Founders
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.
Plaid
Zachary Perret
Zach Perret is the co-founder and CEO of Plaid. He has led the company since 2013, through its shift from screen scraping to direct bank APIs, the abandoned $5.3 billion Visa acquisition in 2020-2021, and its growth to more than $500 million in ARR by 2025.
William Hockey
William Hockey co-founded Plaid in 2013 and served as its president, focusing on engineering and product. He left Plaid in 2021 and co-founded Column, a nationally chartered bank built for developers.
CEOs and their tenures
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
Plaid
- Zach Perret2013–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Has led Plaid since 2013, through the abandoned Visa deal, the move to direct bank APIs and growth to $500M+ ARR in 2025.
Source - William Hockey2013–2021
Co-Founder & former President
Led engineering and product in Plaid's early years; left in 2021 to co-found Column, a developer-focused bank.
Source
Timeline: PayPal and Plaid side by side
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.
2013Plaid
Plaid Founded in San Francisco
Zach Perret and William Hockey founded Plaid to build modern developer APIs for banking data.
2014Plaid
$2.8M Seed Round Led by Spark Capital
Raised $2.8 million in seed capital, launching Plaid Link and signing early fintech customers Venmo and Robinhood.
2015PayPal
PayPal Spins Off From eBay
PayPal became an independent public company again in 2015.
2016Plaid
$44M Series B Led by Goldman Sachs Investment Partners
Secured $44 million to expand bank connectivity across thousands of regional US credit unions and banks.
2018Plaid
$250M Series C at $2.65B Valuation Led by Kleiner Perkins
Achieved unicorn status at $2.65 billion, acquiring competitor Quovo to expand into wealth management data.
2020Plaid
Visa Announces $5.3B Acquisition of Plaid
Visa announced a definitive agreement to acquire Plaid for $5.3 billion to expand into open banking.
2021Plaid
Visa Merger Terminated Following DOJ Antitrust Suit
Mutually terminated the Visa acquisition following a DOJ antitrust suit; raised $425M Series D at $13.4B valuation.
2022Plaid
Acquires Cognito to Expand into Identity Verification
Acquired identity verification platform Cognito, launching Plaid IDV and compliance monitoring.
2024Plaid
CFPB Issues Landmark Section 1033 Open Banking Rule
The CFPB finalized Section 1033 regulations, legally prohibiting banks from blocking consumer open banking data.
2025PayPal
$33.172B FY2025 Revenue
PayPal reported $33.172 billion of revenue and $5.233 billion of net income.
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.
2026Plaid
Surpasses $300M+ ARR Connecting 100M+ Consumers Ahead of IPO
Achieved annualized revenue exceeding $300 million, powering over 8,000 fintech applications.
Acquisitions
PayPal
- Paidy2021$2.7B
- Honey2020$4B
- IZettle2018$2.2B
- Simility2018$120M
- Xoom2015$890M
- Braintree2013$800M
Questions about PayPal vs Plaid
Who is the CEO of PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Plaid Inc.?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is led by Enrique Lores and Plaid Inc. is led by Zachary Perret. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was PayPal Holdings, Inc. founded vs Plaid Inc.?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1998 — 15 years before Plaid Inc., which was founded in 2013. PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Plaid Inc..
How many employees does PayPal Holdings, Inc. have compared to Plaid Inc.?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. employs approximately 23,800 people, while Plaid Inc. employs approximately 1,300. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has the larger workforce at 23,800 employees, compared to Plaid Inc.'s 1,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Plaid Inc. headquartered?
Both PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Plaid Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Plaid Inc.?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. was founded by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Elon Musk. Plaid Inc. was founded by Zachary Perret, William Hockey.
Which company has a longer operating history — PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Plaid Inc.?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. has been operating for approximately 28 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Plaid Inc. has been in operation for around 13 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 PayPal vs Plaid overview