What is PayPal?

Stripe's initial offer for PayPal carried a 28% premium; average take-private premiums run in the mid-30s, implying a likely settlement around 35%.

“They made a 28% premium offer. The average take private like this is in the mid30s. Now, average does not control any deal, but that is the perfect amount of back and forth. 28 to 35. It's already presscripted.”

PayPal board rejection of Stripe's bid is a bullish signal for deal completion, not a genuine rebuff. Public rejections in take-privates are standard negotiating choreography, not a no.

“The fact that the board rejected it means to me that they're going to accept it.”

Stripe is executing two major acquisitions while staying private, a roughly $40 to $50 billion PayPal deal and a $7 billion OpenRouter deal, both in stock, testing the limits of private-market M&A mechanics.

“Being able to do a what is I think a 4050 billion deal and a $7 billion deal issuing paper while private.”

Rory O'Driscoll on the counterintuitive signal in PayPal's board rejection of Stripe's offer.

“The fact that the board rejected it means to me that they're going to accept it.”

Tom Mueller on the potential SpaceX IPO talent spillover.

“I'm going to call you about that because I'm really curious because I'm hoping you fingers crossed that we end up with a like a post PayPal IPO exploding explosion of talent and founders.”

David Sacks reframes the PayPal origin story, calling the group a diaspora rather than a mafia.

“It's really the PayPal diaspora.”