Whimsy in the Workplace: How eBay Gamified Equity and Compliance Training | Invested at Work

Summary

Rachel Ulep, eBay's Director of Global Stock and Equity Programs, joins host Rodney Bolden at Morgan Stanley's Thrive conference to explain how her team redesigned employee equity and compliance education. Using collectible trading cards, bingo, and employee-facing AI agents, they reached eBay's 12,000 global employees and made insider-trading policy and ESPP/RSU material more approachable. Engagement rose, questions to the stock team increased, and global ESPP enrollment sits at 70% against an 85% internal goal. The conversation ends with advice for private-company founders on delivering open, employee-centered equity education.

• Rachel Ulep leads eBay's global stock and equity programs with a five-person team serving 12,000 employees.
• Prior equity education was not reaching lower-level, new, and acquired employees, prompting a redesign focused on financial wellness.
• eBay created collectible trading cards with characters and QR codes tied to insider-trading policy compliance training.
• Ask Stock Live sessions were gamified with bingo cards, and employee-facing and team-facing AI agents were deployed.
• Results include more employee questions reaching the stock team, rising session attendance, and 70% global ESPP enrollment versus an 85% goal.
• Global delivery requires partnering with local HR, payroll, and outside advisors, with taxation the most common employee question.
• Advice for private-company founders: share more information, avoid over-restricting guidance, and understand employees' varied financial circumstances.
• The episode is benefits-education content with no stock, sector, or asset recommendations.