PayPal vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History
PayPal was founded in 1998 by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and is led by Enrique Lores. Unilever was founded in 1929 by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens and is led by Fernando Fernandez.
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.
Unilever
William Hesketh Lever
William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) co-founded Lever Brothers with his brother James in 1885 and built it around Sunlight Soap, one of the first branded, individually wrapped soaps sold at mass scale.
Samuel van den Bergh
Samuel van den Bergh led Van den Bergh, a Dutch margarine maker that became one of Jurgens' main rivals. The two families combined their businesses into Margarine Unie in 1927, and Margarine Unie merged with Lever Brothers in 1929 to create Unilever.
Anton Jurgens
Anton Jurgens' family firm was among the first to manufacture margarine commercially in the Netherlands after the product was invented in France. Jurgens competed for decades with the Van den Bergh family before the two merged into Margarine Unie in 1927.
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
Unilever
- Alan Jope2019–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
Source - Hein Schumacher2023–2025
Chief Executive Officer
Schumacher reset Unilever around fewer, bigger brands and set up the Ice Cream demerger before stepping down in February 2025.
Source - Fernando Fernandez2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
As CFO, the highly experienced Latin American executive enforces absolute financial discipline, attempting to restore investor confidence after years of sluggish stock performance.
Source
Timeline: PayPal and Unilever side by side
1884Unilever
Lever soap factory opens
William Hesketh Lever built the Port Sunlight soap business that became a key Unilever predecessor.
1929Unilever
Unilever created
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged to form Unilever.
1929Unilever
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie Merge
Lever Brothers and the Dutch Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.
1984Unilever
Acquired Brooke Bond
Unilever acquired Brooke Bond in 1984 for ~$515 million (£390 million).
1989Unilever
Acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics
Unilever acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics in 1989.
1993Unilever
Acquired Breyers
Unilever acquired Breyers in 1993.
1998PayPal
Confinity Founded
PayPal traces its origins to Confinity and the early X.com online payments era.
2000Unilever
Acquired Maille
Unilever acquired Maille. Unilever acquired Maille in 2000.
2002PayPal
IPO and eBay Acquisition
PayPal went public and was acquired by eBay in 2002.
2013PayPal
Braintree Acquired
PayPal bought the payments company Braintree, which owned Venmo, in 2013 for about $800 million.
2015PayPal
PayPal Spins Off From eBay
PayPal became an independent public company again in 2015.
2018PayPal
iZettle Acquired
PayPal acquired the Swedish point-of-sale company iZettle in 2018 for about $2.2 billion.
2019Unilever
Alan Jope becomes CEO
Alan Jope became CEO of Unilever in 2019. Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
2020PayPal
Acquired Honey
PayPal Holdings acquired Honey for $4 billion.
2020Unilever
Legal structure unified
Unilever moved to a single parent company structure after decades with British and Dutch holding companies.
2020Unilever
Single Parent Company
Unilever unified its dual structure into a single parent company, Unilever PLC, in November 2020.
2023PayPal
Alex Chriss becomes CEO
Alex Chriss became CEO of PayPal Holdings in 2023. Joined from Intuit in September 2023 after Dan Schulman.
2025PayPal
$33.172B FY2025 Revenue
PayPal reported $33.172 billion of revenue and $5.233 billion of net income.
2025Unilever
Fernando Fernandez becomes CEO
Fernando Fernandez was appointed CEO effective March 2025.
2025Unilever
Ice Cream demerger reflected
Unilever reported 2025 results on a continuing-operations basis after the Ice Cream business demerger.
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
PayPal
- Paidy2021$2.7B
- Honey2020$4B
- IZettle2018$2.2B
- Simility2018$120M
- Xoom2015$890M
- Braintree2013$800M
Unilever
- Dr. Squatch2025Undisclosed
- Wild2025Undisclosed
- Minimalist2025Undisclosed
- Paula's Choice2021Undisclosed
- Sir Kensington's2017Undisclosed
- Weis2017Undisclosed
Questions about PayPal vs Unilever
Who is the CEO of PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Unilever PLC?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is led by Enrique Lores and Unilever PLC is led by Fernando Fernandez. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was PayPal Holdings, Inc. founded vs Unilever PLC?
Unilever PLC was founded in 1929 — 69 years before PayPal Holdings, Inc., which was founded in 1998. Unilever PLC'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 PayPal Holdings, Inc. have compared to Unilever PLC?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. employs approximately 23,800 people, while Unilever PLC employs approximately 96,092. Unilever PLC has the larger workforce at 96,092 employees, compared to PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s 23,800. 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 Unilever PLC headquartered?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in United States and Unilever PLC is headquartered in United Kingdom. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Unilever PLC?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. was founded by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Elon Musk. Unilever PLC was founded by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens.
Which company has a longer operating history — PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Unilever PLC?
Unilever PLC has been operating for approximately 97 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 PayPal vs Unilever overview