Ebay's Whitman to Retire

After a crazy, investor-affirming day that saw stocks rebound by more than 600 points to end firmly in the black, we got news from Ebay that shifts the way the Silicon Valley looks, and the way it will act.

Meg Whitman, after ten years leading the world's biggest online auction house, will retire at the end of March. It makes sense, especially when you hear Whitman herself say that CEOs in the tech industry should be replaced every ten years or so. Nonetheless, her presence will be missed. Not only did she transform Ebay into a world-beating entity worth tens of billions of dollars that helped launch the dot-com boom (and survive the bust), but just think of the jobs (and wealth she created).

She was also one of the early female executives in the go-go atmosphere of the Silicon Valley .. clearing a path for many others who have followed, especially in the dot-com arena.

She made a big mark, did very well for herself, and stepped away while things were still good.