The new Ebay CFO left 20 years ago. Is now “boomeranged” to return to its roots and invest in ia

Good morning. Ben Weiss here filling Sheryl.

“I’m a little boomerang,” said Peggy Alford Fortune.

At first, Alford worked at eBaywhere he focused on the due diligence of mergers and adesitions. He left in 2005, but from Monday he returned to the online auction house, such as the recently undercover CFO.

Return to Ebay as the company continues to return to its roots. The market started in 1995 as a house for peculiar collector articles, such as rare Pokémon letters, beatles niche posters and vintage leather jackets. But as the boom Dot-as new financial heights led, the e-commerce giant expanded beyond niche articles.

“For a while, Ebay was trying to become the place where you buy and sell everything,” said Alford. “And now it focuses on:” We return to the rich story of collectors and people who need a personalized and personalized experience. “

Instead of trying to compete with the market of everything AmazonEbay has tried to focus on second -hand goods, such as the fashion of the vintage designer, under CEO Jamie Iannone. For the past two years, for example, he has sponsored the Met Gala, where the celebrities of the fashion show say They carry Courrèges and eBay.

In many ways, Alford’s career tracks the history of three decades of eBay.

After leaving the online auction house in 2005, he entered Suite C Rent.comA apartment and housing rental website that eBay purchased for $ 415 million in 2004.

Then, in 2011, the boat jumped to another Ebay acquisition: Paypal. The online auction house had acquired the giant Fintech in 2002 for $ 1.5 billion, and Alford had helped to veto the purchase when it was first in Ebay, he said.

In Paypal, which Ebay entered a separate company in 2015, Alford was raised through the ranks to become an executive vice president. Said his experience to land a place on social media giant Goal.

Now, while decorating his new office at Ebay’s headquarters in San Jose, California, Alford focuses on advising EBAY on one of his newest spotlights: Ai.

The Buzzy Tech Vertical is something other eBay executives have been offering. Nitzan Mekel, IA officer of the online auction house, recently deploy A personalized AI A -A Fortune brainstorm and In London.

And Alford did not discount the possibility of AI offers once settled in his new role. “Obviously we will also look at M&A,” he said. “We have a rich balance and, therefore, the ability to make strategic investments in M&A is an area that will definitely be focused.”

Have a good Monday.

Ben Weiss
Benjamin.weiss@fortune.com

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This story originally presented to Fortune.com