The billionaire founder of e-commerce site eBay poured money into a private security startup billed as the “Uber for bodyguards” — while also donating nearly $2 million to groups advocating for the defunding or abolition of the police, according to one report.
Pierre Omidyar, whose wealth is valued at $8.91 billion as of Friday by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, reportedly donated more than $500,000 to organizations protesting the 2020 police killing of George Floyd through his charitable organization, the Omidyar Network.
Two other organizations associated with the Omidyar Network – PolicyLink and Democracy Fund – received $1.3 million to sponsor a website called DefundPolice.org, a tool used by lawyers to advocate for police budget cuts, said independent journalist Lee Fang.
The Omidyar Network donated $300,000 to The Movement for Black Lives, an organization that describes itself as an “abolitionist” coalition, reported Fang, who worked for years as a reporter for The Intercept, a news site founded by Omidyar, before becoming an independent journalist. .
“When we say ‘shut down and abolish the police,’ we mean exactly that,” the Movement for Black Lives wrote in a recent statement.
Fang cited tax records showing that Omidyar Network gave another $100,000 to a Chicago-based group called Equity and Transformation, which is flying the banner of “defund[ing] Police.”
But as a private investor, Omidyar has poured his considerable wealth into start-ups like Bond, a New York-based company that allows people to order a bodyguard on demand, Fang wrote.
The Post has asked for comment from the Omidyar network.
The company was founded in 2017 and raised $72 million in funding, including investments from Omidyar. Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly serves as an advisor to the Bond board.
“With the Bond platform, bodyguards are no longer just for celebrities and executives,” the company’s website said.
“Now you can book affordable, highly trained and professional bodyguards when you need them, on-demand through the Bond platform and app.”
Omidyar’s investment portfolio also includes a stake in Deep Sentinel, an AI-powered security camera system used to identify intruders, Fang said.
Both the Bond app and Deep Sentinel have used the nationwide rise in crime – largely attributed to the Defund the Police movement – to offer their products as an alternative.
Kelly told Fox News that “the police have unfortunately taken a step back in recent years” and that Bond “fills the gap if you’re feeling a little uncomfortable”.
Deep Sentinel recently told Fox News that its business has “tripled” over the past year due to concerns about rising crime.
