127. The White Knight (eBay)
A bizarre and sinister harassment campaign targeting a married couple in Massachusetts is linked to executives at one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies.
Prelude: A content creator orchestrates a grievance-driven attack on YouTube's headquarters.
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Comments (39)
This is so fucked up
“I am very sinful” 😈 You just know Wymer has multiple Punisher car decals
That was one of the most unhinged stories I have ever heard like why would you spend your time doing that instead of trying to run a successful corporation what the hell?!
ACC could do a mini-companion piece to this featuring the Ebay CEO (Meg Whitman) who thought she was gonna beat Hillary to being the first woman Presidential candidate to win a Primary for a major party (as a Republican?) but then it turned out that her maid was an undocumented immigrant and you can guess how Republicans felt about their ability/desire to spin that... "Sorry Meg! We're gonna have to go with the Mormon and his magic underpants..." 😆
Ugh 😒 I knew there was a reason I never liked eBay. A**holes.
Intriguing case! Talk about raising the stakes of cruelty with that couple, especially the grieving a dead spouse and the wreath! They got sloppy and got some of what they deserved. I hope the Stinners send them each soap on a rope monthly in prison. Great job ACC!
“I mean she unalived herself”…pretty epic ACC
Amazing episode. So thoroughly depressing. This is the world we now live in and there is seemingly no escape from the evilness of tech bros and their rampant maniacal desire for more and more power and money. When is enough enough? Just to add, my other favourite podcast (sorry CC!), Casefile has also covered this story very well.
Love Casefile!
The guys doing this at Ebay showed what utter morons they are by putting everything in writing!
"Ignoring, whatever that was ..." when reading the emails. 😂
Also, Thank you ACC, for pointing out in your prelude that the woman with the grievance against YouTube really did have a point and she only harmed herself... not another living being. As a Buddhist, that counts for a lot in my book!
No, ACC said she wounded two others.
This episode is your Opus. Hence why I promoted it on Bluesky... and in case your listeners think that Ebay is the only corporation targeting individuals for harassment, allow me to introduce you all to "The Broligarchy":
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/5/journalist_carole_cadwalladr_on_facebook_openai
Fuck corporate America 🇺🇸! They are responsible to pay for the damages they have caused throughout when they treat everyone around them like trash. Everything matters and without the whole they are nothing. Respect your people and your business should prosper otherwise burn 🔥 the garbage down
i've been waiting for this and it did not disappoint.
“It’s own internal investigation.” Those are precedent words that should indicate that greed, dishonesty, and self-serving evil are about to spill forth. Because seriously, is there a single money-making industry in EXISTENCE or indeed even in HISTORY that can be trusted to self-regulate? NO!!! Human nature is too greedy!
Wow, ACC, this may have been my favorite episode yet! I listened to it 3 different times! The fact that you hold the feet of corporate greed to the fire makes me love you all the more. Plus this is in fact why you are the ONLY artist I continue to support on Patreon!
Just went to the ecommercebytes website and clicked on all their ads! All 2 of them...jeez...I went and clicked them for 10 minutes... I really hope they recover
This seems to be a growing problem, tinpot goons attempting to silence any dissension to the point of lunacy. Like this guy. https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-05-30/ex-treatment-center-ceo-charged-with-orchestrating-vandalism-at-nhpr-journalists-homes
And that will only continue while the greedy and corrupt current American administration is power!
A story that was sadly buried beneath the avalanche that was the Covid pandemic.
Sickening. Makes me sick but I love listening to this podcast.
hearing this story in swindled style :)) very exciting to see how different podcasts do their stories :DDDD
Wow. Just when I think I couldn't be more disgusted with corporations . . . .
Thanks, ACC. That "unalive" sounded like it hurt coming from you.
... and no wet specimens! LOL!
Excellent story! Especially in these current times... So this is what they mean by "going into the private sector" from previous gov't jobs...(sowing terror is more like it) Also, the "journalists" covering the story ironically missed the point, going for ratings and not for the existential threat...
Can you please explain what you mean, Alan?
Gripping story!
I Hope they win! I'm going to bookmark ecommercebytes and make it one of my regular website views. Our lives are increasingly intermingled with online shopping, and I applaud the Steiners for their efforts to hold the companies accountable
They did!
Horrendous - that poor couple. I hope they win their lawsuit.
Wow! This was one of the best episodes. How has this not been more publicized?! Is there a book about this yet? I'm dying to read it. Been using eBay since 2001, and this episode left me incredulous at the depths of evil to which these corporate parasites succumbed. Just wow. And the ambient sounds were the best yet, i.e., when the soundscapes would just... stop. Each episode is just better than the last. Why had I waited so long to become a ValuedListener™️?! Amazing job, ACC!!
I’m hoping someone, somewhere is making a movie of it!
One of all time favourite episodes. The whole thing is just the sheerest lunacy. I suspect getting a verdict on the civil claim will be the easy bit. Enforcing it will require persistence and dedication. Will follow with interest
That’s so crazy!!! I hope they win their lawsuit!!!
First! (lol)