Jeff Jordan is the Tasmanian Devil. At least that's what the folks at eBay decided when they were choosing cartoon characters to represent the top brass for the company's conference-room decorations. Jordan, 44, who heads the auction website's U.S. operations from its San Jose, Calif., base, wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. But his peers had no doubt: he's Taz. "It's something about my energy level," says Jordan. "Plus, I've been known to grumble."
His mania for speed (Jordan can barely sit still through an interview) and impatience with mediocrity sit at the center of eBay's phenomenal growth. A veteran of the...