GameStop CEO Questions eBay’s $2.4 Billion Marketing Spend

GameStop (GME) CEO Ryan Cohen publicly questioned eBay’s spending efficiency after the e-commerce platform posted a Senior Manager of Marketing Effectiveness role, citing the company’s $2.4 billion marketing budget.

The remarks extend a running public dispute between the two companies. It began with GameStop’s rejected $56 billion acquisition offer and escalated after eBay suspended Cohen’s seller account.

Cohen Questions Where the Money Goes

In response to a seller’s thread about eBay’s support failures and account access problems, Cohen posted on X that a company with $2.4 billion in marketing spend should be able to handle basic platform functions.

When a separate post flagged eBay’s new Toronto-based marketing effectiveness role, Cohen quote-tweeted it with a pointed observation that the position’s responsibilities include finding out where the money is going.

The role, listed under job code R0074539, sits within eBay’s Marketing & Communications division and reports to the Head of Marketing Efficiency. eBay’s fiscal 2025 sales and marketing spend totaled $2.4 billion.

GameStop – eBay Takeover Feud Behind the Jabs

Cohen’s efficiency critique ties to the ongoing GameStop acquisition bid. GameStop offered $56 billion in cash and stock, or $125 per share. TD Securities provided a highly confident letter backing up to $20 billion in financing.

eBay’s board reviewed the proposal and rejected the bid as neither credible nor attractive after consulting independent advisors.

Shortly after the feud became public, eBay permanently suspended Cohen’s seller account. The company said the activity posed a risk to its community.

Cohen had listed GameStop-branded items on the platform, including store signs and a square of branded carpet. The Cohen account suspension drew substantial public attention and was widely viewed as a deliberate publicity move.

With the acquisition rejected and his account banned, Cohen has turned to publicly scrutinizing eBay’s operations. The marketing effectiveness hire gives him a ready-made target.