eBay—eBay settled lawsuit over employee cyberstalking campaign that sent cockroaches, bloody pig mask to critics
On February 25, 2026, eBay settled a lawsuit filed by David and Ina Steiner, who operated EcommerceBytes newsletter. In 2019, eBay executives allegedly directed employees to harass the couple after critical coverage, telling staff 'I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes.' Employees sent live cockroaches, fly larvae, a bloody Halloween pig mask, and a funeral wreath to the couple's home. Several workers traveled from California to Massachusetts to surveil them and attempt to install a GPS tracker on their car. Former CEO Devin Wenig was named as a defendant. Seven employees pleaded guilty to conspiracy and cyberstalking charges.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Press Freedom | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.180 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
eBay settled cyberstalking lawsuit, avoiding trial; former CEO Devin Wenig named as defendant
eBay settled a lawsuit brought by David and Ina Steiner over a 2019 harassment campaign. Executives allegedly told employees 'I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes.' Workers sent live cockroaches, fly larvae, a bloody pig mask, and a funeral wreath to the couple's home, and traveled to Massachusetts to surveil them and attempt to install a GPS tracker. Seven employees pleaded guilty to conspiracy and cyberstalking. Former CEO Devin Wenig, CCO Steve Wymer, and SVP Wendy Jones were named as defendants.