PayPal Sale Talks With Stripe and Advent Heat Up at $53 Billion
PayPal sale talks with Stripe and Advent revive around a $53 billion bid as CEO Enrique Lores pursues restructuring and plans 20% workforce cuts ahead.
Summary
Stripe and private equity giant Advent offered in July to buy PayPal for $60.50 a share, valuing it at $53 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. PayPal rejected the proposal, but negotiations continued and could produce a deal within weeks, the Journal reported on August 14, 2026, citing unnamed sources. PayPal declined to comment, while Stripe said it does not address rumors or speculation.
Sale talks form part of CEO Enrique Lores’ effort to reverse PayPal’s lagging trajectory. Lores joined in March after years at HP, reshuffled executives in April and divided the company into three operating models: checkout solutions and PayPal, consumer financial services and Venmo, and payment services and crypto. A month later, he told investors PayPal would return to fundamentals and become a technology company again. Cost savings are expected to reduce its workforce by 20% over the next two to three years. Founded in 1998 by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Luke Nosek and others, PayPal expanded during the pandemic e-commerce boom but has struggled in recent years.
Positives
- Negotiations reportedly continued after PayPal rejected July’s $60.50-a-share offer, leaving a $53 billion transaction possible within weeks.
- Enrique Lores began restructuring in April, one month after joining PayPal from HP.
- PayPal adopted three operating models and pledged to refocus on fundamentals and become a technology company again.
Risks & concerns
- PayPal plans to reduce its workforce by 20% over the next two to three years.
- PayPal has struggled in recent years after expanding during the pandemic e-commerce boom.
- The Wall Street Journal’s latest account relies on unnamed sources, while PayPal and Stripe provided no confirmation.
- Enrique Lores is pursuing the overhaul as PayPal tries to reverse its lagging trajectory.