The $55.7 Million Price of eBay's Failed Campaign Against Journalists

The settlement concludes years of litigation sparked by the Steiners' news site, EcommerceBytes. Of the total payout, $48.7 million is directed to the couple, while the remainder supports nonprofit organizations. Notably, the agreement includes no confidentiality provision, ensuring the Steiners remain free to discuss the company’s efforts to intimidate them. The documents accessed during the legal process revealed a pattern of escalation among eBay leadership, with former executives allegedly pushing security staff to "crush" the journalists.

The Anatomy of a Corporate Campaign

Between August 5 and August 23, 2019, members of eBay's security team targeted the couple at their home in Natick, Massachusetts. The harassment ranged from grotesque deliveries—including fly larvae and a funeral wreath—to digital stalking and the solicitation of strangers to visit the Steiners' property via Craigslist. The operation even involved a plan to have a former police captain, then an eBay manager, approach the couple as a "fixer" to stop the very attacks his colleagues were orchestrating. The scheme collapsed only after the Steiners identified they were being followed and alerted local police. While eBay eventually paid a $3 million criminal penalty and admitted to felony charges including stalking and witness tampering, former CEO Devin Wenig continues to maintain he was unaware of the specific harassment tactics, despite his documented internal demands to "take down" the reporters.