I first came across Jeff Skoll in a December 21, 2003 BusinessWeek interview titled "Jeffrey Skoll: Why Delay? Give It Away". The piece was featured in a BW Special Report on philanthropy and reveals glimpses into Skoll's path from aspiring writer, to eBay founder (along with Pierre Omidyar), philanthropist and Hollywood leader focused on social issues.
The result of Skoll's efforts can be found both at the non-profit bearing his name, the Skoll Foundation, and his entertainment company Participant Media (formerly Participant Productions... chronicled in this 2005 BusinessWeek article).
It would certainly be a fair statement to say that Skoll's original idea of being a writer is what stood out to me, but he's a fascinating guy who is involved in a lot of interesting and worthwhile efforts.
