eBay The online retailer eBay disclosed that billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn is pushing the firm to spin off Paypal into its own corporation. As predicted, eBay disagreed and in exchange released a successful fourth quarter earnings for PayPal. The stock market reaction was euphoric and the American online shopping website's stock jumped from $54.42 to $61.30 in the after-hours trading. These are five points that should be considered to understand eBay's position: Joined forces PayPal and eBay have built considerable synergies. For instance, during the fourth quarter, about one-third of PayPal's new accounts came from the American online shopping website. In 2013, roughly 50% of PayPal's new mobile accounts also were product of eBay's intervention.