PayPal

PayPal has largely removed language on diversity from the human capital section of its annual report to investors. Bloomberg Law reported on February 5, 2025, that PayPal cut diversity language in its new report to shareholders.

PayPal donated $250,000 to Trump's 2025 Presidential Inaugural Committee, contributing to the record $251.4 million raised for the inauguration.

In December 2024, investigations revealed that PayPal's Honey browser extension (acquired for $4 billion in 2020) had been secretly re-attributing affiliate marketing sales by modifying affiliate links at checkout, crediting Honey even when no coupon was applied. The extension also collected extensive user data including full URLs visited, timestamps, and device IDs. Honey lost 3 million of 20 million users within two weeks. PayPal faces over 20 class-action lawsuits alleging wiretapping, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment.

PayPal announced it would cut 9% of its global workforce, or about 2,500 jobs. CEO Alex Chriss wrote in an internal memo: 'Across our organization, we need to drive more focus and efficiency, deploy automation, and consolidate our technology to reduce complexity and duplication.'

In January 2023, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman announced the company would lay off approximately 2,000 employees, representing about 7% of its total workforce. The layoffs were part of broader cost-cutting measures across the tech industry. This was followed by another round of approximately 2,500 layoffs (9% of workforce) in January 2024, representing consecutive years of major workforce reductions.

In October 2022, PayPal updated its acceptable use policy to include a $2,500 fine for users who spread 'misinformation' as determined at PayPal's sole discretion. The policy caused immediate backlash from users and former PayPal president David Marcus, who called it antithetical to his beliefs. PayPal's stock dropped over 5%. The company retracted the policy within days, claiming the language was inserted 'in error'.

In 2022, PayPal permanently suspended the accounts of antiwar publications Consortium News and MintPress News without warning or clear explanation. PayPal froze funds including $9,348 in Consortium News' account and threatened to seize the money as 'damages.' Neither outlet was given a specific reason for the ban. The suspensions occurred during the Russia-Ukraine war period and were criticized as financial censorship of independent journalism.

In June 2021, PayPal announced a more than $100 million commitment to advance financial inclusion and economic empowerment for women and girls globally. This included depositing $100 million of corporate capital into investment funds and depository institutions led by women or focused on serving women, plus $7 million in partnerships to increase access to microloans for women entrepreneurs.

In 2020, under CEO Dan Schulman, PayPal committed $535 million to initiatives aimed at closing the racial wealth gap and advancing racial equity in the United States. This included investments in Black and minority-owned businesses, community financial institutions, and internal DEI programs. The commitment was one of the largest corporate racial equity pledges made during that period.

In April 2016, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman announced the company was canceling its planned expansion in Charlotte, North Carolina, which would have created 400 jobs. The decision was made in protest of HB2, the 'bathroom bill' requiring people to use public facilities matching their birth gender. Schulman said the law 'perpetuates discrimination and violates the values and principles at the core of PayPal's mission.'

In December 2010, PayPal permanently suspended WikiLeaks' donation account, citing violations of its acceptable use policy. PayPal VP Osama Bedier acknowledged a US State Department letter influenced the decision. The financial blockade by PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and others destroyed 95% of WikiLeaks' revenue. Critics called it 'digital McCarthyism' and extrajudicial financial censorship.