eBay’s head of Global Collectibles announced he is stepping down shy of his 2-year anniversary. Gene Cook, known as a “boomerang” employee because he returned to eBay after a previous stint at the company, said he saw the recent deal between eBay and Collectors (which owns PSA) as a “personal inflection point.”
Collectibles is a key category for eBay, part of its “focus category” strategy. As part of the deal with Collectors, eBay acquired Goldin Auctions, whose founder remains at the helm with a strong personality and personal brand.
Cook made his announcement in a post on LinkedIn, implying he has not yet determined his next career move:
“I wanted to share that I’ll soon be wrapping up my time on the Global Collectibles team at eBay. This has been my second stint at the company, and I’ll forever be a fan of eBay and its strong sense of mission: enabling entrepreneurs to thrive while connecting people with things they love. I returned to help drive transformative change with the collectibles team, reinforcing our role as a champion of people across The Hobby, innovating, and taking big swings. I can proudly say we’ve done just that, setting a new course for the collectibles business. I’m incredibly proud of the work of this talented and driven team. They’ve pushed every day on behalf of our community, inspired me, and made me better.
“Most recently, I’ve loved working with the team on our deals to acquire Goldin and to establish a long-term partnership with Collectors and PSA, all in service of building more exciting, streamlined, and meaningful experiences for collectors. I’m fired up about these opportunities, and it’s gratifying to know that there’s such a strong team in place to dream big and take things to the next level.
“Still, the closing of these deals also represented a personal inflection point for me in terms of being intentional about what I want to pursue next. Those who know me well know that I’m passionate about developing high-performance teams that move creatively and purposefully on behalf of customers to drive outcomes that matter. I’m energized to explore further and excited about what’s to come. But for now, I wanted to express my deep thanks to the broader collectibles team. The sky’s the limit.”
another do nothing rat leaves the cesspool….
I care alot … said no one ever
If he had anything to do with the slaughter of the collectibles categories, then good riddance, and please don’t come back to the scene of the crime!