Ex-PayPal President David Marcus Says 'Defensive' BNPL Strategy Handed PYPL's Market Share To Rivals, Leading To Stagnant Growth

Core Insights - PayPal Holdings Inc. has experienced a 20% decline in stock price and the removal of CEO Alex Chriss, prompting former president David Marcus to critique the company's shift towards a culture of "financial optimization" [1][2]. Company Culture and Leadership - David Marcus attributes PayPal's struggles to a transition from product-led innovation to a financially-driven leadership style, which he believes has diminished the company's competitive edge [2]. - Marcus expressed that the leadership's focus on predictability over innovation has led to a loss of the company's original "mojo" [3]. Product Strategy and Market Position - Marcus criticized PayPal's approach to the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service, stating that while competitors like Klarna and Affirm built strong consumer brands, PayPal treated BNPL merely as a feature rather than a core offering [4]. - This lack of strategic aggression in the BNPL space contributed to a slowdown in PayPal's core branded checkout growth, which fell to just 1%, described by management as a significant "execution shortfall" [4].