eBay In Person: Lynn Reedy

Lynn Reedy is the Sr. Vice President of Product, Development, and Architecture.

What did you do before you worked at eBay?
My background has always been in software and software development. Prior to coming to eBay I was CIO for seven years at Miller Freeman, a business-to-business publishing company and the number one trade show producer in the world.

What's the most rewarding part of your job?
For me, the most rewarding part is watching a team deliver something that's important to the company and seeing the excitement of those folks when they realized what they've accomplished.

What skills have you found yourself utilizing most in your career at eBay?
One skill is prioritization. In Product and Product Development, there are just a lot of things to do. You've got to have the ability to prioritize and handle many to-dos at the same time. Another skill is flexibility. Every day could mean new projects or issues and you must be able to be flexible to handle them. Also as the company grows, our organization is constantly changing. Therefore, you have to bring bright, motivated people up to speed, move them into new roles fairly quickly, and assist them. Lastly is an understanding when there is a need to be more hands-on. The ability to get into the detail and then come back and look at the big picture has served me well at eBay.

What's unique about working here?
The Community. I've worked at a lot of companies that have customers, but customers are different from Community. Every single day we are interacting with the Community, and they really are part of our team. Outside of eBay, how many developers are reading Community boards and Voices emails looking for potential problems? At eBay it's so ingrained in everything we do. That really is different.

What's the most telling thing you've heard from an eBay Community member?
I think the most telling thing I've heard from the Community is, "Don't mess up my business." eBay is the platform, not the business. It's important we understand that and articulate and grow that vision.

What do you like to do for fun?
Golf and ski.