Bob Tronnes helps ensure that eBay’s belief that people are basically good continues to thrive
By Billy Yost
Portraits by Jyotsna Bhamidipati
Concept Photography by Cass Davis
At the same time Bob Tronnes was considering going to eBay over ten years ago, he was also in the late stages of heading back into public sector work. The litigator on behalf of well-known, multinational firms like O’Melveny & Myers and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom had accomplished great things. Still, the son of two public school teachers had an ingrained passion for work on behalf of the general public, and he was in the final stages of interviews for the United States Attorney’s Office in San Francisco (USAO).
“In the middle of that interview process, the USAO instituted a hiring freeze,” Tronnes says. “It felt like my last chance to build a career in the public sphere,
and suddenly I found myself at eBay wondering if I would be spending my time mitigating disputes between buyers and sellers.”
That was over a decade ago. While buyer and seller disputes continue to play a role in Tronnes’s day-to-day, he’s discovered that resolving them is far more meaningful than expected. And following three promotions into his current role as associate general counsel and head of global litigation, he’s built a team that has a reputation for finishing each other’s sentences, that is committed, at its heart, has a mission of helping others find those secret treasures they simply cannot find anywhere else.
The Belief that People Are Good
For a company that may be lumped in with other Dot Com boom companies of the early 2000s, eBay, which was actually founded in 1995, is unique because while its evolution has been constant, it’s never endeavored to become an “everything” business.
“At its core, I know this company is trying to empower small businesses and give people opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have,” Tronnes explains. “[eBay founder] Pierre Omidyar said very early on that eBay is based on the idea that people are basically good. And if they’re good, you can trust them to engage in these transactions in a way that will work.”
Omidyar couldn’t have imagined creating a marketplace that today has roughly 2 billion live listings, but his belief in people has proven true more often than not. While the legal team may be forced to grapple with some of the more challenging consequences of that view, the tenure of the legal team illustrates a belief in the mission, a love for the work, and a strong bond among its community.
While new people continue to join the team, Tronnes, his manager vice president of legal, Aaron Johnson and senior director of litigation Allison Marrazzo have worked together, almost uninterrupted, for the past eighteen years since they were all associates at O’Melveny & Myers. Long tenure is a similar theme for many on the litigation team whose members have spent years, if not decades, with the company.
Jeff Wall, litigation partner and head of the Supreme Court and appellate practice at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, highlights Tronnes’ strong leadership and litigation skills that lead to eBay’s success. “Bob can handle any problem,” he says. “He understands litigation from the courtroom side and the business side, he cares deeply about getting to the right place, and he’s able to lead teams there on a range of difficult issues.”
“When we have new people join, they’re always a little confused at how we know so much about each other,” Tronnes says. “There are so many running jokes and people finishing each other’s sentences that it might feel a little intimidating, but we work hard to make new teammates feel at home amongst a team that has done a lot of great things together.”
Part of the team’s longevity might be linked to the company’s early investment and understanding that a legal team is far more than a cost center. Tronnes says introducing an eDiscovery function early on was a game-changer for making in-house litigation counsel more effective in their roles. “That early adoption of eDiscovery and building some bespoke solutions that really address specific data collection preservation challenges at eBay has been very, very impressive to me,” Tronnes says.
Tronnes also has an ability to spot future trends and technologies. “Bob is a very strategic thinker who understands how to manage litigation in a way that protects users and sellers on the eBay platform and advances the interests of the company,” says Ian C. Ballon, cochair of global intellectual property and Technology Practice Group at Greenberg Traurig LLP. “He understands the importance of developing new law in emerging areas. And he always takes a long-term view, considering trends in the law and broader policy objectives. He is a pleasure to work with, has a great sense of humor, and works very hard to achieve the best possible results for his internal clients.”
“When we have new people join, they’re always a little confused at how we know so much about each other. There are so many running jokes and people finishing each other’s sentences that it might feel a little intimidating, but we work hard to make new teammates feel at home amongst a team that has done a lot of great things together.”
Something New
One of Tronnes’s early successes at eBay was in his second year when he was asked to take over a complex and costly business dispute that had been going on for years prior to Tronnes joining the company.
The case was so messy that it had its own inertia, bogging down all parties with no foreseeable way out, and, understandably, little passion about getting it resolved.
Within twelve months of Tronnes being assigned the project, eBay had successfully settled the case. He’s first to point out that it wasn’t just him, but his involvement was critical.
“I suggested some new strategies for the litigation to get the other side’s—as well as the court’s—attention in ways that hadn’t been tried previously,” Tronnes remembers. “It increased the stakes. At the same time, we worked to educate the opposing side that there were present and long-term challenges that were going to have to be addressed that they might [not] have given much thought to before.”
Tronnes not only can work well with opposing counsel, but also can delegate appropriately with outside counsel. “Bob has been a friend of King & Spalding for several years, and through our relationship we’ve learned first-hand that he is a great lawyer, leader, client, and friend,” say Ethan Davis, Craig Carpenito, and Damien Marshall, who are partners at King & Spalding.
At present, Tronnes says differentiating eBay’s business model from other ecommerce companies is one of the more challenging parts of his role because many litigation opponents have incentives to refuse to recognize the differences in business models or the challenges applying thirty-year-old laws to a pure third-party marketplace present. While it can be challenging, Tronnes believes it’s rewarding work.
Ten years ago, Tronnes might have wound up on the other side of those conversations, but he and a tight team have found a mission that they can connect to. In a difficult and complex world, eBay is still operating with the idea that people are fundamentally good. The fact that the company remains a giant in its field should give us all a little more faith in humanity.
“Through his leadership, Bob fosters and maintains the close-knit culture, collaborative approach, and incredible work ethic of the eBay legal team. We are honored to work with Bob and celebrate his well-deserved recognition by Modern Counsel.”
—Judith M. Mercier, Partner
“Weil is proud of its longstanding partnership with Bob Tronnes and the entire team at eBay, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”
—David Lender, Cochair, Global Litigation Department
Editor Melaina Cecilia de la Cruz
Designer Rebecca Kang
Photo Manager + Video Director Cass Davis
Web Developer Jose Reinaldo Montoya