Paypal payment system creation history. Paypal - what is it, registration, account replenishment and how to use it, as well as how to withdraw money from Paypal in Russia. How PayPal works in Russia

Not everyone knows what PayPal is and how to use it. The economy does not stand still. Many goods and services can be obtained on the Internet. For the safe execution of payments, for the convenience of all participants in business relations, this electronic payment system was specially developed.

What is PayPal?

The main thing in payments via the Internet is security guarantees. A person should know that his money will not go in an unknown direction, and he will not become a victim of fraud. PayPal payment system is a system through which you can send and receive financial transfers. Its main feature is to ensure the protection of the rights of sellers and buyers. The company is a kind of electronic bank, as it performs almost the same functions on the Internet.

PayPal - pros and cons

In the era of booming technological development, such a system has become a necessity. Like any product, the PayPal service has both advantages and disadvantages. With help payment system you can even buy a car in a matter of seconds without leaving your home or pay utility bills. All this makes human life much easier. Let's consider the pros and cons of this system in more detail.

PayPal Benefits

PayPal wallet has a huge number of advantages, among which the following must be highlighted:

• to work with this system, you do not need additional software for a PC: you can manage your personal account from any browser and any PC;
• high level security is a huge plus: the identity of the client is carefully checked;
• an additional security measure - linking a credit card to a virtual account: this operation is needed to confirm the identity of the client;
• in case of an unsuccessful transaction with money, the user gets his money back.

Cons of PayPal

There are some unpleasant aspects to any system. PayPal account is no exception, because it has restrictions in work in the countries of the post-Soviet space. Until recently, it was difficult to withdraw money from an account in Russia. Increased security measures, on the one hand, are good, but the system automatically blocks accounts at the slightest suspicion, without warning or explanation. You cannot convert money into other electronic currencies.

What is PayPal and how do I use it?

PayPal has a very simple interface. Before starting work, you need to study the system in detail and register. After that, bind a real card to the virtual account. Many domestic sellers go international, and in Europe they have been freely using this payment system for a long time, therefore, the correct use of this device remains a pressing issue.

How do I register with PayPal?

To create a PayPal wallet, you first need to go through the registration process. You only need to provide real data. Otherwise, it is highly likely that your account will be blocked in the future. detailed instructions includes the following:

• specify the country, select the interface language;
• choose the type of account: corporate (for companies) or personal (for use by one person);
• then enter all personal data;
• at the end of registration, a confirmation letter will be sent to your e-mail.

How do I fund my PayPal account?

The second important question is how to top up PayPal. To avoid problems with replenishment, you need to link a credit card, then it will be easier to perform operations. You can replenish cash through the terminal, for this you need to create another and. And then we link the virtual card to the account. So, you can get money to your personal account in the system in two ways:

• transfer money from another PayPal account;
• receive payment for the offered goods or services.

How do I withdraw money from PayPal?

The pressing issue for many countries of the post-Soviet space was the withdrawal of money from PayPal. There is a way to withdraw money through another person. For example, you need to withdraw money and buy a product for him. Then you make an exchange: he pays you in cash, and you pay in the store for his goods from your account. This method allows you not to spend a single extra penny. Someone from your relatives or friends will become your intermediary for receiving money in this way. What is PayPal and what other withdrawal options are there?

1. Withdraw money at the office of the company. There are not so many such offices, so only some citizens will be so lucky, but in general, this is an ideal way with minimal commissions.
2. Withdraw money to a bank card. To begin with, you will need to withdraw small amounts of money twice and wait a couple of days. Withdraw via or Kiwi. V this case these wallets will act as intermediaries. Operations will be carried out faster, but you will have to pay a commission.

How do I pay with PayPal?

One more important point users are interested in - how to pay with PayPal. If you need to buy a thing in an online store, and it is indicated there this way payment, you just need to select it and enter your username and email address. The money will be withdrawn from the card linked to the account or from the balance on the virtual account itself. Payment commission is paid by the recipient, not the sender.

What is PayPal and what it is for is very clear. From all of the above, it turns out that this is a system for paying for purchases and services, contributing to the development of economies in countries where it can be used to its fullest. The only drawback is the difficulty with the withdrawal of money in the post-Soviet space. Technologies are developing and, most likely, in a couple of years, and anywhere on Earth it will become possible full use system capabilities. In any case, using such a service is convenient and profitable.

Paying through PayPal for purchases in foreign stores is 100% protected from fraud. You can be sure that the money will not go to the side, and you will be left without a product. Customers' purchases are protected in such a way that until the buyer confirms the receipt of the goods, the money is not credited to the seller's account. In case of incidents, the buyer gets his money back. The company is registered in the states as a money transfer company. She performs all banking operations and is subject to unified system taxation, and its work is regulated by all basic laws.

Conversation in Silicon Valley:
- I built a business from scratch with my own hands and after 3 years I sold it for $ 50 million
- It's okay, the main thing is not to lose heart, maybe the next project will be successful ...

For us at Web-payment.ru, a project about payment systems with monitoring of exchangers, it is very interesting to observe the development of Elon Musk, he is engaged in fantastic projects and is especially inspiring that all this is due to Musk's early success in the field of payment systems and Internet technologies. It was this that created the conditions for him to get busy with what he had a passion for all his life - science, engineering and space. In March 1999, he founded X.com, one of the first services to provide functionality for selling services on the Internet, and quickly became one of the leading financial services companies on the Internet. In 2000, X.com acquired Confinity and developed into PayPal, the international leader in payment transfers. At PayPal, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and was the largest shareholder until Ebay bought PayPal in 2002 for $ 1.5 billion. Prior to PayPal, Musk was one of the founders of Zip2, a software company for Internet services.

1995 - Zip2

Musk and his brother Kimball founded the company Zip2, which specialized in software for news companies.

“I worked from morning to night. He lived in the same warehouse where he rented an office, and went to the locker rooms of the local stadium to take a shower. But I saved on renting an apartment, and in the first two most difficult years kept the company afloat. "

In 1999, Zip2 was acquired by Compaq for $ 307 million. Musk received 7% of the sale ($ 22 million). “After Compaq acquired my brainchild, it merged with Altavista,” comments Elon.

1998 - Confinity

Confinity started in December 1998 as a cryptographic company for Palm (cryptography is one of Max Levchin's skills). Max Levchin developed an encryption application. It used infrared rays to transfer identification information from one Palm device to another.

(In the photo: 1999, the Confinity company creates software for PalmPilot. Peter Thiel in the second row from the left in a blue shirt, behind him in glasses and a white shirt Max Levchin)

1999 - X.com

Elon Musk co-founded X.com in March 1999

2000 - X.com buys Confinity

In 2000, the acquisition of Confinity, one of whose branches was called PayPal. Both systems (X.com and PayPal) were involved in providing personal electronic money transfers via Email.

(In the photo: Peter Thiel and Elon Musk)

From March to October 2000, Elon Musk served as CEO of PayPal. Peter Thiel became CEO in October.

2002 - eBay sale

In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $ 1.5 billion.

Several reasons why Elon Musk should be considered a full-fledged co-founder of PayPal (without any diminution of the roles of Max Levchin and Peter Thiel):

1. According to the LA Times, David Sachs (Chief Operating Officer of PayPal, prior to his eBay sales), it was Elon Musk who came up with the idea of ​​a "viral" growth mechanism.

2. The business model of charging only large sellers, not buyers or small merchants, was developed by Elon Musk and other X.com executives. Applying this model, PayPal does not lose its profits.

3. A large number of valuable workers came from X.com

more details

• Roelof Botha. He was involved in financial management and external capital construction. As CFO, he led PayPal through a very difficult public offering. He is now employed at Sequoia. In addition, he is one of the founders of the notorious YouTube.
• Amy Rowe Klement ran a variety of services at PayPal until 2006.
• Julie Anderson Ankenbrandt and Sal Giambanco, still VP HR at PayPal. They managed to create a customer support and fraud investigation team from scratch. Their group numbered hundreds of workers by the summer of 2000, when Elon Musk was still director general... Without them, PayPal would be mired in a sea of ​​online fraud and customer lawsuits.
• Sanjay Bhargava is a former CitiBank employee. He developed the world's first low-cost way to identify bank accounts. This was a critical factor for the future work of the PayPal business model.
• Jeremy Stoppelman served as VP of Engineering at PayPal until the summer of 2003. He went to Harvard Business School, and then became one of the founders of Yelp.

4. X.com (X) had more employees, user accounts, and a growth rate that also surpassed Confinity's (but had more eBay users).

5. Elon Musk was the CEO and chairman of X / PayPal from January 1999 to October 2000. Just over half the life of the joint venture before they agreed to sell it to eBay in June 2002. Musk has also been on the board of directors throughout the company's existence. Elon ran the joint venture from April 2000 to October 2000, that is, 7 months. This was the time when X.com/PayPal (it was called X until 2001) became the leader in e-mail payments. This was facilitated by a viral growth model, a calculated business model, growth from 60 employees to several hundred, the emergence of a customer service and an anti-fraud center, support for debit cards, support for the money market fund, and the foundation was laid for worldwide service and accepting various currencies.

6. By the time Peter Thiel took over as CEO of X / PayPal (at the end of October 2000), by and large, the company was exactly what it is known today.

7. When PayPal was sold to eBay, Elon Musk was its largest shareholder.

Elon Musk says: “It is worth saying that there is no significant enmity or rivalry between me and Peter Thiel and Max Levchin. The only negative point was related to a book called "The PayPal Wars", written by the flattering fool Eric Jackson. Peter Thiel volunteered to sponsor him and helped with the publication of the book. However, in defense of Peter, we can say that he had absolutely no idea that the book would turn out to be so terrible. He personally apologized to me at David Sachs's house. "

(In the photo: 2002, Peter Thiel and Max Levchin a few seconds after the end of the auction. The initial share price is $ 13, the final price is $ 20. PayPal conducted an initial public offering a month and a half before the sale of eBay)

What now?

And Musk continues to think about "what problems the world and humanity will have to solve in the future" and founds SpaceX (2002), Tesla Motors (2003),

The electronic payment system PayPal is gaining more and more popularity due to the ability to pay for purchases on the well-known online platform eBay. PayPal works all over the world without any restrictions.

Enough to get yourself online wallet and any questions will immediately disappear, regardless of the current location of the owner.

At first, those who live in Russia had to open an account with one of the American banks. But if it is not difficult to open it, then in case of withdrawing money to a Russian card, unforeseen difficulties may arise.

Some problems can be eliminated by first registering the wallet with PayPal, and only then opening a bank account with a supported financial institution.
On the positive side, the system works well with cards of such banks as VTB24, Alfa-Bank, Gazprombank, Bank of Moscow, Russian Standard, Sberbank.

It is also interesting that the work is carried out with the plastic of another payment system - Qiwi, this allows you not to abandon the use of an account in this service, but only adds functionality. You can find out how to replenish PayPal through QIWI and how to link accounts on our portal.

How does PayPal work in Russia?

It should be noted right away that an account in the PayPal payment system can be registered both for an individual and for an organization. This allows you not only to purchase goods for your personal use, but also to organize trade in foreign products through a local company, for example, to create your own online store.

PayPal can be registered as any person.

The system's capabilities include the following areas:

• Purchases. The feature allows you to pay for purchases on eBay and other online stores that accept payments through PayPal. You can work with the service both from a computer and mobile phone... Programs are available for iOS and Android, which allows you to use the payment system on almost any modern gadget.
• Sales. The module, which is integrated into the site, accepts payments for goods through PayPal and from bank cards.
• Translations. You can send money to another user of the system in a few clicks, for this you only need to know email address.

The convenience of PayPal is easy way payment. It is enough to enter your email address and password when purchasing. This not only saves time, allows you not to enter personal data on unfamiliar resources, but also frees you from the need to remember the numbers of cards or e-wallets.

You only need to enter your mail and password.

All payments are made in safe mode, which guarantees the receipt of funds to exactly those clients of the system to whom they are addressed.

Within 180 days, the support service accepts claims for all translations, which avoids annoying errors and other misunderstandings. Including, in case of lack of delivery of goods or damage during transportation.

To protect against fraud when buying over the Internet, the following system is used: money is credited to the seller's account only after the buyer confirms the receipt of the purchased product.

Perhaps PayPal offers a unique payment method that guarantees the integrity of both parties. The rest of the services work according to a simpler scheme, without confirmation of the performance of services or delivery of goods.

It is also important that the ability to withdraw funds to a bank card does not always work (not all banks are supported). So before registering with PayPal, it is worth clarifying whether the bank, whose services are to be used, is working with it.

How to register with PayPal in Russia?

The PayPal payment system in Russia did not become popular immediately from the moment of its creation, because for almost 10 years, starting from 2000, it maintained accounts of foreign banks and in order to register with it, one had to keep part of their money abroad.

Considering that not everyone could afford to open an account in a foreign bank, the service has long enjoyed success with a limited number of people.

Signing up with PayPal is as easy as using it. The system of prompts works if you enter incorrect data into the proposed form.

To get to the tab where you can register, just click on the button of the same name located in the upper right corner of the start page.

The first thing to choose is the type of account that you plan to open. Most of them get themselves a personal wallet, because they will have to use it mainly, buying various goods for their own needs.

When you need to register an account for personal needs, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

• Country of residence - Russia is set by default. You can specify any other manually, but the account will be focused on the use of Russian cards, which must be taken into account when registering.
• Email address - enter your current address, all notifications about transactions, invoices, etc. will be sent to it.
• Password - you can use automatic generation or come up with it yourself. When entering manually, it is checked whether the password in both windows is the same, and only after typing the same sequence of characters, it will be offered to proceed to the next stage of registration.

After specifying the main parameters that are subsequently used to enter the personal page of your account, you will need to enter personal data, i.e. you will not be able to register an account with an anonymous user:

• Citizenship - everyone can register and use the system, regardless of their place of birth and residence.
• Surname and name - enter in Latin.
• Surname, name, patronymic - enter in Cyrillic.
• Date of Birth.
• Passport series and number.
• Data of the second document. SNILS, OMS, TIN are offered to choose from.
• Place of residence.
• Telephone number.

Everything must be entered in accordance with real data, since subsequently, account verification (identity confirmation) will be required. Upon completion of registration, you must check the box on the acceptance of the User Agreement and the Privacy Policy.

After clicking the "Accept" button, a Account... If any data has not been entered, then in the corresponding window will appear Exclamation point... It remains only to register a plastic bank card in the system, after which you can start shopping.

My compliments, dear readers, admirers and all other personalities. Today we will talk, as we understood from the title, about.

I think I will not be mistaken if I say that only the lazy (or deaf :)) have not heard about the possibility of acquiring various amusing "gizmos" from anywhere in the world, via the Internet, for example, from our partners from (or anywhere yet).

But they know much less how to do it quickly, conveniently and safely (especially in Russia). What's the matter, you ask? The answer is simple - not so many payment systems, especially time-tested ones, can guarantee such a high level of service.

As you remember (you remember, right? :)), we have already talked about the so-called electronic money and, in particular, about the payment system. Today we are going to talk about the most popular, safe, international (including with the support of the Russian language) system. And her name is: "Pay your friend!". Yes, yes, - you heard right, this is how the name of the system is literally translated.

So, meet, the world's largest online "new payment system, access to which was closed for Russian users, already since 1999 -. It is she who allows you to normally make purchases in the bourgeois, in particular on a huge and powerful one, as well as use the Donate button and thank your favorite sites (and not only them) :)

Let's get started.

Acquaintance with the payment system - an overview of the essence

A bit of history.

As you may know, in the post-Soviet space, the undisputed (well, almost) leader is the Russian Webmoney system. The palm of the world championship was firmly seized by the American company, which was acquired by the famous American online monster. Since then, it has been the most popular way to receive and send online payments at an auction, in most American and Western European online stores, and one of the fastest growing electronic payment systems in the world.

Why is it popular, you ask?

• The first is globality. With the help of this payment system, for example, a resident of the Russian Federation can easily make a payment in any online store in the world, in any currency and funds will be received in a matter of seconds;
• Second, speed and simplicity. When making a purchase, you do not need to enter multi-line bank details or payment card details every time. It is enough to know the recipient's identifier, and it, according to an ingeniously simple idea, corresponds to the e-mail address that the user used when registering;
• Third, in order, but by no means important, is security. Nobody, except, will know the details of your payment card. After all, leaving them in all places where purchases are made, you see, is quite unpleasant and dangerous;
• And, most importantly, PayPal protects most of the purchases in stores connected to it and, in case of problems with the seller, allows you to return your hard-earned money.

In addition, it is a powerful financial instrument, where all operations are carried out with "real" money, and not with "title units", as in the same Webmoney system.

So, here's what we have for the services provided to users:

• Sending a payment (Send Money)... The user can transfer a certain amount from his personal account in the payment system, as well as directly from bank card or a bank account linked to an account in
• Request to receive payment (Money Request)... Using this type of service, the user can send his debtors letters containing a request for payment. You can address your letter to both an individual and a group of debtors;
• Placement on the user's website of tools for accepting payments (Web Tools)... This service is only available to Premier and Business account holders;
• Auction Tools... The payment system offers two types of services. At first, automatic mailing requests to receive payment. Second, auction winners can pay directly from the Web site where the auction is being held.

Immediately, I note that the "all inclusive" package (the maximum set of services) is available only to residents of the United States, for Russia, it is still sending / receiving payments, paying for purchases in stores and withdrawing Money... However, the company is actively engaged in "our" direction. Therefore, in the near future, we can expect an even greater expansion of opportunities for Russian users.

Now, in fact, let's move from words to deeds, i.e. to the process itself.
Well, let's go ..

Preparation for registration and further process

The mechanism for working with the system is as follows. You "link" a payment (credit, debit, payment) card (or several) and / or bank account to your account. You can automatically top up your balance at any time (terminal, ATM, etc.) or withdraw money received from someone. If you sell something, you can accept payments from customers directly from their payment cards (they do not need to have an account).

To register in the system, you will need:

• A plastic card (ideally tied to a current account, i.e. not a credit card), on the account of which there must be an amount (attention!) Equivalent to at least several US dollars (three dollars should be enough) otherwise it will not be possible to authorize it. Read more about maps below;
• Working e-mail address: the most the best option do not use popular free services, like @mail, and something like [email protected] (for example,). Mail will also work. The security service has more confidence in them.

Also, do not make a "banal" password (qwer123) to the mail, because information on your card transactions will flow there. Password security issues discussed in the article: "" - so do not forget, use it!

Now about the credit cards. I do not want to "load" you with unnecessary banking terminology, therefore, in order to remove all the questions, I will just give you a concrete example.

• Card type - VISA Classic or MasterCard Standard (or higher);
• Issuer (who issues) - Sberbank of the Russian Federation;
• Account currency - the one in which the majority of transactions will be carried out (rubles or dollars). Nevertheless, PayPal is able to convert any currency into any, so there shouldn't be any special problems with buying and transferring funds in any case.

If you do not have your own card, then it is worth knowing that the process of obtaining plastic card takes, on average, 1-3 weeks (although some banks can issue them almost instantly), so if you decide to give them to your loved ones, then take this into account (plus delivery can be from several days to several months, depending on the method and country).

Now let's move on to the most important thing, the process of registering and verifying an account.

Step-by-step registration instructions

The registration process in the system is quite clear, and with the opening of the Russian-language version of the site, it has become easier than ever, although after the introduction of a number of laws, it is required to provide information about your identity documents.

Step 1. Open the Russian-language official web page of the payment system

First, go to the site itself and click on the button "Register".

Note! to a special extended protocol (HTTPS), it protects the transmitted data and indicates the authenticity of the official website.

Step 2. Choose to create an account: "Personal" or "Corporate" PayPal

We went to the next page, namely registration.

First, select the type created account... In our case, we will use it ourselves, for our own selfish personal goals. We choose for you and "Open an account".

Now we select the country (or region), specify the login and password to enter our future account. Do not forget that the password must not coincide with the login, and also must contain numbers, letters of the Latin alphabet and even signs, as we have already mentioned above.

Step 3. Fill in personal data for our account

As mentioned above, from a certain point in the legislation and rules, in fact, it is required to indicate a lot personal information... Unfortunately, this is an inevitable step, but you shouldn't worry too much about it.

Then you will be taken to the page for managing your account, where you will be clearly shown which fields still need to be filled in (in general, there are not so many), as well as provide almost all the necessary tools for working with your account:

To begin with, we recommend confirming your email address (which is what you are asked for), which can be done by clicking on the link in the letter that came to you by Email after registration. By the way, the Email you specified is also the account number for receiving payments.

If the letter did not arrive, then you should wait or look at the spam folders, trash cans, notifications, etc. - maybe it accidentally (which is unlikely) got there.

Here you can choose which notifications to receive by mail, which ones by Email and which categories in general may be of interest to you.

Let's move on to the last step, which causes the greatest difficulties, namely, the verification (verification) of the card in.

How to confirm (verify) a card and account

For full-fledged work with, you need to verify (not to be confused with register) your payment card. This is an additional security measure that will confirm that you are the owner of the card you are using and will allow you to use it to fund your account and make payments.

After going through this procedure, you will also raise the limits (turnover limit) of your PayPa l-account and reduce the likelihood of the latter being blocked.

This is not done as difficult as it might seem, but still, for some reason, it causes difficulties for many.

First, click on the name of your card (if you added it) or add it (if you haven't).

The confirmation process requires the presence of funds on the card. At the time of updating the article, a minimum of 60 rubles (equivalent to 1 US dollar at the current exchange rate) is required, but this value may change over time.

By clicking on the "Continue" button, in fact, this very amount will be debited from you (in 60 rubles or more / less). , as you can see in the screenshot above, it offers to check the account statement in a few days, where, in the payment purpose, the code will be indicated, which is exactly what is needed for confirmation.

In fact, if you have a mobile bank, Internet bank or their equivalent, then either on the Internet (bank-client) or in SMS, you will immediately receive a notice of debiting, where you can see the same code (at the time of the update articles are 4 numbers between letters, of the form PP1111CODE, where 1111 is the code).

This very code must be entered in the card confirmation window (you may need to switch to your account and click on the card again to confirm):

We press, enter the code and type in the corresponding button:

Voila! The card is confirmed and ready for use, the limits have been increased, and now it glows green in the list of cards (a similar trick will have to be done for all your cards):

Now you have a personal account with a card attached to it (and, possibly, an account), all restrictions on purchases have been removed and you can easily "plunge" into the immense world of foreign (and not only) Internet shopping / and try to translate some or money.

If it works out, then everything works on "Hurray!" .. Well, we will be grateful;)

Remember the "bundle" of tips (memorize them like "Our Father!") That will be useful to you when working with the payment system:

• Do not give your username / password to your account to third parties PayPal, pin codes, card addresses and any other important information from the account;
• Use a secure protocol (HTTPS: //) and visit only the official sites of the payment system and secure stores with this protocol;
• If possible, use "your" only IP - address (log off from your home PC). If you log into your account from different countries(calculated by IP address) or there will simply be a large number of hits from different computers, - it is possible that the security service may suspect that unauthorized persons have gained access to the account. Such an account may be blocked, and you may be asked to send copies of documents (do you need it?);
• Beware of fraudulent (from [email protected]) emails in the "Sender" column, which indicate "pseudo - services" or
• Do not use "instant" credit cards, which are often offered on the Internet under various pretexts, do not indicate your PayPal account details on questionable sites, etc.
• Opening (not counting the debiting to confirm the card) and maintaining an account are absolutely free;
• Sending funds to is conditionally free (a commission is charged by your bank and / or a little by yourself when converting currencies between rates). The system commission is for the recipient of the money, not the sender;
• If you have any questions or something does not work out, you can always visit " PayPal Help Center", In their technical support or;
• To send money, it is enough to know the Email of the account of the person to whom you want to make a transfer. And, on the contrary, in order to receive, you need to give your own (NO MORE requisites are required to be given).
• To pay in online stores, nothing special is required, except for choosing the appropriate payment method and logging into your account;
• You can pay and transfer money in any currency, any store or country (even in tugriks), - the funds will be converted at the internal rate of your bank, etc.

In particular, you can create your own page for receiving, as we did (). In a nutshell, something like this.

Afterword

Well, today, there is one more "useful tool" in your arsenal. There were corresponding articles on Webmoney and Yandex and.

Well, we were glad to tell you about such a fast and convenient way money transfer, secure payment for purchases, etc., etc., like.

As always, if you have any questions, additions, thanks and other differences, then write them in the comments to this article.

Now Max Levchin is known all over the world as an American web developer and programmer, one of the founders PayPal- the largest in the world electronic payment systems... Levchin is also vice president of development at the company Google.

But his attempts to achieve success in the field of programming were not always successful, writes Peoples.ru.

Max was born on July 15, 1975 in Kiev into a Jewish family. He was named after Maximilian in honor of the poet Maximiliana Voloshin, whose great admirer was Max's father - a poet and prose writer known in literary circles Rafael Zalmanovich Levchin... Mother Elvina Pinkhasovna Zeltsman is a multimedia artist, photographer, translator and programmer.

V In 1991 the family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in Chicago, Illinois.

By the time he moved to the USA, Max already knew English well, and this helped him to enter University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he studied computer science. He graduated from university in 1997 and then moved to Silicon Valley.

Before PayPal Levchin launched 3 startups that did not bring him success and profit. The first big money was earned in 2002, when eBay acquired a payment system PayPal for $ 1.5 billion. He, as one of the co-founders ( PayPal was founded in 1998 by Levchin, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk), then owned 2.3% of the company, and he received as a result of the acquisition of about $ 34 million.

PayPal started its work at the end of 1999. The now known system was the sixth attempt, it turned out to be invulnerable to hacker attacks that ruined some other electronic payment systems. The system owes this to the talent of the programmer and mathematician Max Levchin, one of 6 people who stood at the origins of this project.

The project turned out to be more successful than its creators expected: in the very first months of its existence, the company Nokia invested $ 3.5 million in the project, Deutsche Bank- $ 1.5 million. Many other banks have invested in PayPal a total of over $ 20 million. Thanks to the growth of the internet user community shortly after launch PayPal already had about one and a half million customers in the database, and the daily turnover exceeded$ 2 million. It was then that the project decided to acquire eBay .

In 2004, Levchin launched his own startup Slide, the main development of which was the service of convenient display of a large number of photos for users social network MySpace... Later Slide reoriented to create social services for MySpace and Facebook.

As a result, the photo hosting Levchin acquired Google, and Levchin himself became the vice president of the company.

In 2009, Max Levchin took 25th place in the list of the most successful businessmen under 40 years old, according to the publication Fortune.

Levchin, he said, is obsessed with cycling. He closely follows various competitions.

When the entrepreneur first moved to Silicon Valley, he did not ride a bicycle, which was gathering dust in the garage. After sale PayPal Levchin gained extra weight and constantly complained to his girlfriend, and now his wife Nelly, about boredom. Then the girl invited him to go for a drive - according to her, it would help put his brains in order.

Levchin decided that he was ready to take up the bike only a few months later. Memories interfered with the entrepreneur - Max was used to the fact that cycling was always what he was really good at. Levchin was worried that, due to his excess weight, he might not be able to drive quickly or climb a high mountain.

Founder PayPal decided to "return" by attending several group trainings. He found that he coped with interval cycling quite well - better than most people who attended classes - and also did not feel very short of breath and fatigue. Then he realized that he could return to the road.

“Every couple of years I promise myself to try to participate in the races - but the restoration of proper form took longer than I expected,” Levchin admitted.