"I don't think there is any way that long term the companies stay together…They've missed all the macro trends and innovation around Bitcoin, Stripe, Stellar, Square, because they still think of themselves as hostage to the eBay market." Proponents of PayPal's independence believe that the company hasn't been able to live up to its potential as a major player in mobile-payments space, despite its consistent growth and its 150 million users around the world. The issue came to the surface back in January, when investor Carl Icahn began agitating for PayPal to spin off from eBay through an IPO, a campaign that included an open letter to eBay shareholders that accused board members Marc Andreesseen and Scott Cook and CEO John Donahoe of conflicts of interest and negligent leadership, respectively. In April, Icahn withdrew his demand, the fight ending with the addition of Icahn's pick, David Dorman to the eBay board.