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David O. Sacks

David O. Sacks
David O. Sacks.jpg
Sacks in February 2011
Born David Oliver Sacks
(1972-05-25) May 25, 1972 (age 44)
Cape Town, South Africa
Education Stanford University and University of Chicago Law School
Occupation Tech entrepreneur / investor
Known for Former CEO of Zenefits, Former COO of PayPal and CEO of Yammer
Spouse(s) Jacqueline Tortorice (m. 2007; 2 children)

David Oliver Sacks (May 25, 1972) is the former chief executive officer of Zenefits. He has been an entrepreneur, executive and investor in internet technology firms since the late 1990s. As a result of Yammer’s acquisition by Microsoft in July 2012, he served as corporate vice president in Microsoft’s Office Division. On December 10, 2014 he joined Zenefits, a San Francisco based startup company, as COO. On February 8, 2016 he was promoted to CEO following the departure of Zenefits founder Parker Conrad.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Sacks immigrated with his family to the United States when he was 5 years old.

Sacks attended Memphis University School in Memphis, Tennessee. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Stanford University in 1994 and received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1998.

In 1999, Sacks left his job as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company to join e-commerce service PayPal as its chief operating officer.

In February 2002, PayPal went public, it was one of the first IPO after the September 11, 2001 attacks (ABCO went Public in November 2001). The stock rose more than 54% that first day and closed at $20.09. In October 2002, eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion.

Sacks is a member of the "PayPal Mafia"—a group of founders and early employees of PayPal who went on to found a series of other successful technology companies. They are often credited with inspiring Web 2.0 and for the re-emergence of consumer-focused Internet companies after the dot com bust of 2001.

Sacks is the co-author with Peter Thiel of the 1995 bookThe Diversity Myth: 'Multiculturalism' and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford, published by The Independent Institute. The book is critical of political correctness in higher education and the consequent dilution of academic rigor. It "drew a sharp rebuttal from then-Stanford Provost (and later President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor) Condoleezza Rice," with Rice joining Stanford's then president in writing "They (the two former students) concoct a cartoon, not a description of our freshman curriculum" and that Thiel and Sacks' "commentary was demagoguery, pure and simple."


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