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| caption      = Collison in 2015
| caption      = Collison in 2015
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1988|9|9}}
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1988|9|9}}
| birth_place  = [[Dromineer]], [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
| birth_place  = Dromineer, [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
| nationality  = Irish
| nationality  = Irish
| education    = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| education    = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| occupation  = Technology executive, entrepreneur
| occupation  = Entrepreneur, technologist
| known_for    = [[Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], [[Fast Grants]], [[Arc Institute]]
| known_for    = [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]], Fast Grants, Arc Institute
| awards      = BT Young Scientist of the Year (2005)
| awards      = Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (2004), BT Young Scientist of the Year (2005)
| website      = {{URL|patrickcollison.com}}
| website      = {{URL|patrickcollison.com}}
}}
}}


Patrick Collison (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur and technology executive who serves as the co-founder and chief executive officer of [[Stripe, Inc.|Stripe]], a financial infrastructure platform for internet businesses. Born in the rural village of [[Dromineer]] in [[County Tipperary]], Ireland, Collison demonstrated exceptional aptitude for science and technology from an early age, winning Ireland's prestigious [[BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition]] in 2005 at the age of sixteen.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist Winner Announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He went on to attend the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] before dropping out to pursue entrepreneurship in [[Silicon Valley]]. Together with his younger brother [[John Collison]], he founded Stripe in 2010, building it into one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=2016-11-28 |title=Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4 |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Beyond Stripe, Collison has pursued philanthropic and scientific initiatives, co-founding Fast Grants in 2020 to accelerate funding for [[COVID-19]]-related research and co-founding the [[Arc Institute]], a nonprofit research organization, in 2021. In 2025, he was named to the [[TIME100]] Philanthropy list and was elected to the board of directors of [[Meta Platforms]].<ref>{{cite web |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |publisher=Time Magazine |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
'''Patrick Collison''' (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur and technologist who co-founded and serves as chief executive officer of [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]], the financial infrastructure and payments technology company he started with his younger brother, [[John Collison]], in 2010. Born in the small village of Dromineer in [[County Tipperary]], Ireland, Collison demonstrated an early aptitude for computer science, winning the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist winner announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> His trajectory from a schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to the helm of one of the world's most valuable private technology companies has made him a prominent figure in the global technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |work=Time |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Beyond Stripe, Collison has been active in scientific philanthropy, co-founding Fast Grants in 2020 to rapidly fund COVID-19-related research alongside economist Tyler Cowen, and co-founding the Arc Institute, a nonprofit research organization, in 2021 with bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. In April 2025, Collison was elected to the board of directors of [[Meta Platforms]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Early Life ==
== Early Life ==


Patrick Collison was born on 9 September 1988 in [[Dromineer]], a small village on the shores of [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]] in [[County Tipperary]], Ireland. He grew up in a rural setting, attending [[Gaelscoil]] Aonach Urmhumhan, an Irish-language primary school, before moving on to [[Castletroy College]] for his secondary education.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison |url=http://patrickcollison.com/ |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Patrick Collison was born on 9 September 1988 in Dromineer, a small village on the shores of Lough Derg in [[County Tipperary]], Ireland. He grew up in a rural setting and attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, an Irish-language primary school, before enrolling at Castletroy College, a secondary school in [[County Limerick]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison |url=http://patrickcollison.com/ |publisher=patrickcollison.com |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Collison showed an early interest in computers and programming. As a teenager, he entered Ireland's [[BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition]], one of the country's most prominent science competitions for secondary school students. In January 2005, at the age of sixteen, he won the 41st edition of the competition with a project related to programming and artificial intelligence.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist Winner Announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Reports from RTÉ noted that Collison had also participated in the 2004 edition of the exhibition.<ref>{{cite news |date=2004-01-09 |title=Young Scientist Competition |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison showed an early interest in programming and computer science. In 2004, at the age of fifteen, he entered the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of Ireland's most prestigious science competitions for secondary school students. He won the event's top prize the following year, in January 2005, at the age of sixteen, for a project involving the development of a new programming language.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist winner announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2004-01-09 |title=Young Scientist winners |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The award brought him national attention in Ireland, establishing him as a notable young talent in technology.


His achievements at the Young Scientist competition brought him early national recognition in Ireland. The ''[[Evening Herald]]'' profiled Collison as a teenager who was already making an impact on the web, describing him as a "million dollar boy who changed the face of the web."<ref>{{cite news |title=Million Dollar Boy Who Changed the Face of the Web |url=http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html |work=Evening Herald |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He was also featured on RTÉ television, appearing on the ''Miriam'' show in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Miriam — 18 July 2009 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801122940/http://www.rte.ie/tv/miriam/20090718.html |publisher=RTÉ |date=2009-07-18 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
His younger brother, [[John Collison]], also showed similar aptitude for entrepreneurship and technology. The two brothers would go on to collaborate on several ventures, beginning during their teenage years and culminating in the founding of Stripe. Media profiles of the Collison brothers frequently noted their rural Irish upbringing as an unusual origin story for individuals who would become major figures in Silicon Valley.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2017-08-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


His younger brother, [[John Collison]], also demonstrated entrepreneurial and technical abilities from a young age. The two were profiled together in Irish media as entrepreneurs to watch.<ref>{{cite web |title=Two to Watch |url=http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html |publisher=InsideView.ie |date=2009-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Their shared interest in technology and business would later lead them to co-found Stripe.
While still a teenager, Collison began his first entrepreneurial efforts. In 2007, he and John founded Auctomatic, a company that built software tools for managing online auctions and e-commerce. The company attracted early attention from investors and the technology press. In March 2008, Auctomatic was acquired by the Canadian company Live Current Media for a reported sum in the region of US$5 million, making Collison a teenage millionaire.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Teenage brothers' firm sold for millions |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Million dollar boy who changed the face of the web |url=http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html |work=Evening Herald |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The sale of Auctomatic drew coverage from the BBC, which profiled the young Irish entrepreneurs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Teenage brothers sell web firm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm |work=BBC News |date=2008-03-27 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
Collison appeared on RTÉ television, including the ''Miriam'' programme, as part of media coverage of his early achievements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Miriam - Patrick Collison |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801122940/http://www.rte.ie/tv/miriam/20090718.html |publisher=RTÉ |date=2009-07-18 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Technology commentators in Ireland identified both Collison brothers as emerging figures to watch in the Irish technology sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=Two to Watch |url=http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html |publisher=InsideView.ie |date=2009-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Education ==
== Education ==


Collison attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan for primary school and Castletroy College for secondary school, both in Ireland. Following his successes at the Young Scientist competition and early entrepreneurial ventures, he enrolled at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison |url=http://patrickcollison.com/ |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan for his primary education, receiving instruction through the [[Irish language]]. He subsequently attended Castletroy College for his secondary education, where he developed his programming skills and undertook the projects that led to his Young Scientist awards.


Collison did not complete his degree at MIT. He left the university to focus on building technology companies, a path that would eventually lead to the founding of Stripe. His departure from MIT to pursue entrepreneurship placed him among a cohort of prominent technology founders who left elite universities before graduating.
Following the sale of Auctomatic and completion of his secondary schooling, Collison enrolled at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in the United States. He began studies at MIT but did not complete his degree, opting instead to pursue entrepreneurial ventures in Silicon Valley. His departure from MIT to focus on what would become Stripe mirrored a pattern seen among other prominent technology founders who left elite universities to build companies.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2017-08-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==


=== Early Ventures ===
=== Auctomatic ===


Before founding Stripe, the Collison brothers were involved in earlier entrepreneurial projects. In 2008, [[BBC News]] reported on Patrick Collison's business activities, noting the young Irish entrepreneur's growing profile in the technology sector.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Young Irish Entrepreneur |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> RTÉ also covered Collison's early ventures, reporting on his activities in March 2008.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Collison |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison's first significant venture was Auctomatic, which he co-founded with his brother John in 2007 while still a teenager. The company developed tools to help users manage their activity across online marketplace platforms, including features for inventory management and auction tracking. The startup participated in the [[Y Combinator]] startup accelerator programme.


The brothers' early work attracted attention in Ireland, where they were identified as emerging figures in the technology industry. A 2009 profile in InsideView listed the Collison brothers among entrepreneurs to watch in the Irish technology sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=Two to Watch |url=http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html |publisher=InsideView.ie |date=2009-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In March 2008, Live Current Media, a Canadian internet company, acquired Auctomatic. The sale drew significant media attention in Ireland, as both Collison brothers were still teenagers at the time.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Teenage brothers' firm sold for millions |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Teenage brothers sell web firm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm |work=BBC News |date=2008-03-27 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The acquisition was widely covered in the Irish press, with one headline referring to Patrick as the "million dollar boy who changed the face of the web."<ref>{{cite news |title=Million dollar boy who changed the face of the web |url=http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html |work=Evening Herald |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Founding of Stripe ===
=== Founding of Stripe ===


In 2010, Patrick and [[John Collison]] founded Stripe, initially operating in stealth mode. The company's premise was to simplify online payments for developers and businesses by providing a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that could be integrated with just a few lines of code. The company emerged from stealth in 2011, when [[TechCrunch]] reported on the payment startup, drawing comparisons to [[PayPal]] while noting Stripe's developer-first approach.<ref>{{cite news |date=2011-03-28 |title=Stealth Payment Startup Stripe |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/stealth-payment-startup-stripe-paypal |work=TechCrunch |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In 2010, Patrick and John Collison began working on a new venture aimed at solving what they perceived as a fundamental problem in online commerce: the difficulty of accepting payments on the internet. The brothers observed that integrating payment processing into websites and applications was unnecessarily complex, requiring developers to navigate cumbersome banking relationships, outdated APIs, and extensive regulatory paperwork. Their solution was to create a simple set of developer tools—initially described as requiring just seven lines of code to integrate—that would allow businesses to accept payments online.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2017-08-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


A 2017 [[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] feature detailed how the Collison brothers built Stripe from what was described as "seven lines of code" into a $9.2 billion startup. The article chronicled the company's growth trajectory and the brothers' approach to building financial infrastructure for the internet economy.<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-08-01 |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The company, initially called /dev/payments, was eventually named Stripe. It launched publicly in September 2011, and early coverage in the technology press positioned it as a potential competitor to established payment processors such as PayPal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stealth Payment Startup Stripe |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/stealth-payment-startup-stripe-paypal |work=TechCrunch |date=2011-03-28 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Stripe's core product allowed businesses to accept payments online by integrating Stripe's APIs into their websites or applications. The simplicity of this approach—contrasted with the complexity of existing payment processing systems—helped Stripe gain adoption among developers and startups, and eventually among large enterprises. The company processed payments for businesses of varying sizes and expanded its product offerings over time to include billing, fraud prevention, and financial reporting tools.
Stripe's approach focused on the developer experience, offering clean, well-documented APIs and simple integration processes. This developer-centric strategy proved effective at attracting early adopters among technology startups, and the platform quickly gained traction in Silicon Valley and beyond. Major technology companies, including those in the e-commerce and software-as-a-service sectors, began adopting Stripe for their payment infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe: the small British company taking on PayPal, Apple, Amazon and Facebook |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stripe-payments-apple-amazon-facebook |work=Wired UK |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Growth and Valuation ===
=== Growth of Stripe ===


Stripe grew rapidly throughout the 2010s, securing successive rounds of venture capital funding at increasing valuations. In November 2016, [[Forbes]] reported that a new investment round had made Patrick Collison the world's youngest self-made billionaire.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=2016-11-28 |title=Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4 |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Under Patrick Collison's leadership as CEO, Stripe grew from a small startup to one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world. The company expanded its product offerings beyond simple payment processing to include a broad suite of financial infrastructure tools for internet businesses, encompassing billing, fraud prevention, financial reporting, and corporate card programmes.


By September 2019, Bloomberg reported that the Collison brothers had become Ireland's richest self-made billionaires, a reflection of Stripe's continued growth in valuation.<ref>{{cite news |date=2019-09-20 |title=Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires |work=Bloomberg |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In November 2016, a new funding round valued Stripe at $9.2 billion, a milestone that, according to ''Forbes'', made Patrick Collison one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=2016-11-28 |title=Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4 |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Subsequent funding rounds continued to increase the company's valuation. By September 2019, ''Bloomberg'' reported that the Collison brothers had become Ireland's richest self-made billionaires.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires |work=Bloomberg |date=2019-09-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


The company attracted customers ranging from startups to major technology firms. [[Wired UK]] profiled Stripe's relationships with companies such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], and [[Facebook]], highlighting the platform's role in powering payments for some of the world's largest internet companies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe Payments: Apple, Amazon, Facebook |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stripe-payments-apple-amazon-facebook |work=Wired UK |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Stripe expanded its operations globally, establishing offices across multiple countries and building infrastructure to support payments in dozens of currencies. The company's client base grew to include businesses ranging from small startups to large enterprises, with many prominent internet companies relying on Stripe for their payment infrastructure.


=== Stripe in the 2020s ===
=== Stablecoins and Financial Innovation ===


Under Collison's leadership as CEO, Stripe continued to expand its product suite and geographic reach into the 2020s. The company maintained its position as a significant player in the financial technology sector.
In 2025, under Collison's leadership, Stripe continued to expand into new areas of financial technology, including stablecoins. In September 2025, Collison outlined the benefits that businesses see in using stablecoins, following Stripe's launch of a product called "Tempo" in partnership with the cryptocurrency firm Paradigm.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe CEO Patrick Collison Explains Why Businesses Are Turning to Stablecoins |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-explains-141645381.html?prefer_reader_view=1&prefer_safari=1 |work=Yahoo Finance |date=2025-09-06 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This move signaled Stripe's increasing engagement with blockchain-based financial products as part of its broader payments infrastructure strategy.


In September 2025, Collison discussed the growing role of [[stablecoin]]s in business payments. [[Yahoo Finance]] reported on his explanation of why businesses were increasingly turning to stablecoins, noting that Stripe and [[Paradigm (venture capital firm)|Paradigm]] had launched a product called "Tempo" the day before his remarks.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-09-06 |title=Stripe CEO Patrick Collison Explains Why Businesses Are Turning to Stablecoins |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-explains-141645381.html?prefer_reader_view=1&prefer_safari=1 |work=Yahoo Finance |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
=== Views on Artificial Intelligence ===


In July 2025, Collison appeared on ''The New York Times'' podcast ''Hard Fork Live'', where he discussed Stripe and broader trends in the technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-07-04 |title=Hard Fork Live, Part 2: Patrick Collison of Stripe, Kathryn Zealand of Skip, and Listener Questions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/podcasts/hardfork-live-patrick-collison.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In the same month, [[Business Insider]] reported on Collison's views on artificial intelligence, noting that he described AI as "terrific" for answering factual questions but expressed a preference for his own writing style over AI-generated text.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-07-15 |title=Stripe's CEO says he loves asking AI questions — but it falls short in another area |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-ai-ask-questions-writing-grok-2025-7 |work=Business Insider |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison has publicly discussed his views on artificial intelligence and its implications for business and society. In a 2025 interview, he stated that AI is "terrific" for answering factual questions but expressed a preference for his own writing style over AI-generated prose, suggesting a nuanced view of the technology's strengths and limitations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe's CEO says he loves asking AI questions — but it falls short in another area |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-ai-ask-questions-writing-grok-2025-7 |work=Business Insider |date=2025-07-15 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In July 2025, Collison appeared on ''The New York Times'' podcast ''Hard Fork'' to discuss Stripe, technology trends, and related topics.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hard Fork Live, Part 2: Patrick Collison of Stripe, Kathryn Zealand of Skip, and Listener Questions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/podcasts/hardfork-live-patrick-collison.html |work=The New York Times |date=2025-07-04 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Meta Board Appointment ===
=== Meta Board of Directors ===


On 11 April 2025, [[Meta Platforms]] announced that Patrick Collison and [[Dina Powell McCormick]] had been elected to the company's board of directors, effective 15 April 2025.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Reuters and Axios both reported on the appointment, noting Collison's role as CEO of Stripe and his profile as a leading figure in the fintech industry.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-04-11 |title=Meta to add Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-add-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-board-2025-04-11/ |work=Reuters |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2025-04-11 |title=Exclusive: Meta adds Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/exclusive-meta-adds-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-to-board |work=Axios |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
On 11 April 2025, [[Meta Platforms]] announced that Collison had been elected to the company's board of directors, effective 15 April 2025. The appointment was made alongside the addition of Dina Powell McCormick, a banking executive and former Republican official.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: Meta adds Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/exclusive-meta-adds-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-to-board |work=Axios |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Meta to add Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-add-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-board-2025-04-11/ |work=Reuters |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The appointment placed Collison in a governance role at one of the world's largest technology companies while he continued to serve as CEO of Stripe.


The appointment placed Collison on the board of one of the world's largest technology companies, adding a governance role to his existing responsibilities as Stripe CEO.
=== Advocacy on Housing and Urban Policy ===


=== Advocacy on Housing and Public Policy ===
Collison has been involved in public discussions around housing policy, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stripe is headquartered. In 2018, he was among technology executives who spoke out about the housing crisis affecting the region, joining CEOs from other major companies in calling for policy reforms to address housing affordability and supply constraints.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tech CEOs on housing crisis |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/05/03/tech-ceos-housing-crisis-stripe-salesforce-yelp.html |work=San Francisco Business Journal |date=2018-05-03 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Collison has spoken publicly on issues related to housing policy and the cost of living in [[San Francisco]] and the broader [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]], where Stripe is headquartered. The ''[[San Francisco Business Times]]'' reported on Collison alongside other technology CEOs who addressed the housing crisis, noting the growing concern among tech leaders about the effects of housing costs on their employees and the wider community.<ref>{{cite news |date=2018-05-03 |title=Tech CEOs on the Housing Crisis |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/05/03/tech-ceos-housing-crisis-stripe-salesforce-yelp.html |work=San Francisco Business Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
=== Scientific Philanthropy ===


== Intellectual Interests and Writing ==
==== Fast Grants ====


Collison maintains a personal website at patrickcollison.com, which includes a bookshelf page listing books he has read and recommends.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The breadth of his reading interests has been noted in media profiles.
In 2020, at the onset of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Collison co-founded Fast Grants alongside economist [[Tyler Cowen]]. The initiative was created to provide rapid funding for scientific research related to COVID-19, addressing what its founders perceived as the slow pace of traditional grant-making processes during a public health emergency. Fast Grants aimed to distribute funds within days of receiving applications, in contrast to the months-long timelines typical of conventional grant agencies. The programme funded a range of research projects across virology, epidemiology, and public health.


In November 2018, Collison co-authored an article in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' examining the question of whether scientific progress was experiencing diminishing returns. The piece explored trends in research productivity and the pace of scientific discovery.<ref>{{cite news |date=2018-11 |title=Diminishing Returns in Science |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This interest in the mechanisms and pace of scientific research would later inform his philanthropic work, including Fast Grants and the Arc Institute.
==== Arc Institute ====


== Philanthropy and Scientific Initiatives ==
In 2021, Collison co-founded the Arc Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Palo Alto, California, with bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. The institute was established to pursue fundamental biological research with a model that gives researchers greater freedom and longer time horizons than is typical in academic settings. Arc Institute focuses on areas including cellular biology, genetics, and disease mechanisms.


=== Fast Grants ===
=== Intellectual Interests ===


In 2020, Collison co-founded Fast Grants with economist [[Tyler Cowen]]. The initiative was created to provide rapid funding for scientific research related to [[COVID-19]]. The program was designed to address what its founders saw as bottlenecks in the traditional scientific funding process, particularly the lengthy timelines for grant applications and approvals during a public health emergency. Fast Grants aimed to distribute funding within days rather than the months or years typical of conventional grant processes.
Collison has been noted for his broad intellectual interests. He maintains a public bookshelf on his personal website, listing works across science, history, philosophy, economics, and other fields.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=patrickcollison.com |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In 2018, he co-authored an article in ''The Atlantic'' exploring the question of whether the rate of scientific discovery is experiencing diminishing returns, drawing on data about research productivity across various fields.<ref>{{cite news |title=Science Is Getting Less Bang for Its Buck |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/ |work=The Atlantic |date=2018-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This interest in the efficiency and structure of scientific research has been a recurring theme in Collison's public activities and underpins his philanthropic efforts through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute.
 
=== Arc Institute ===
 
In 2021, Collison co-founded the [[Arc Institute]], a nonprofit research organization, alongside bioscientists [[Silvana Konermann]] and Patrick Hsu. The institute was established to support fundamental biological research, with a focus on giving scientists greater freedom and stability to pursue long-term research questions without the constraints of traditional academic funding cycles.
 
These initiatives reflected Collison's broader interest in accelerating scientific progress, a theme he had explored in his 2018 ''Atlantic'' article on diminishing returns in science.<ref>{{cite news |date=2018-11 |title=Diminishing Returns in Science |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Personal Life ==
== Personal Life ==


Collison was born and raised in [[Dromineer]], [[County Tipperary]], Ireland. His younger brother, [[John Collison]], is the co-founder and president of Stripe. The brothers have been frequently profiled together in media coverage of Stripe and have been described as Ireland's richest self-made billionaires.<ref>{{cite news |date=2019-09-20 |title=Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires |work=Bloomberg |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison was born and raised in Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland. His younger brother, [[John Collison]], serves as President of Stripe. The two brothers have been frequent collaborators since their teenage years, co-founding both Auctomatic and Stripe together.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2017-08-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Collison is known to be an avid reader. His personal website features an extensive bookshelf cataloguing his reading habits across a range of subjects, including science, history, philosophy, and economics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison is an avid reader and maintains an extensive public bookshelf on his personal website, which features titles spanning numerous academic and intellectual disciplines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=patrickcollison.com |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He has publicly discussed topics including scientific progress, economic growth, institutional design, and the philosophy of technology.


''Time'' magazine described Collison's trajectory as a rise "from schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to Silicon Valley tech founder and billionaire philanthropist."<ref>{{cite web |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |publisher=Time Magazine |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stripe is headquartered.


== Recognition ==
== Recognition ==


Collison's earliest public recognition came through the [[BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition]] in Ireland. He participated in the 2004 exhibition and won the overall prize in 2005 at the age of sixteen.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist Winner Announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2004-01-09 |title=Young Scientist Competition |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The ''[[Irish Times]]'' later reflected on the Young Scientist competition and the achievements of its notable winners, including Collison.<ref>{{cite news |title=Young Scientists: Where Creativity and Charm Collide |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/young-scientists-where-creativity-and-charm-collide-1.3357542 |work=The Irish Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison's early recognition came through Ireland's Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. He won a prize at the competition in 2004 and was named the overall winner, BT Young Scientist of the Year, in January 2005 at the age of sixteen.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005-01-14 |title=Young Scientist winner announced |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2004-01-09 |title=Young Scientist winners |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The ''Irish Times'' later profiled the Young Scientist competition and its alumni, noting Collison among its notable past winners.<ref>{{cite news |title=Young Scientists: Where creativity and charm collide |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/young-scientists-where-creativity-and-charm-collide-1.3357542 |work=The Irish Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In November 2016, a funding round for Stripe led ''Forbes'' to identify Collison as the world's youngest self-made billionaire at the time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=2016-11-28 |title=Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4 |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In 2016, ''Forbes'' reported that a new investment round at Stripe made Collison one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=2016-11-28 |title=Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4 |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The Collison brothers were subsequently identified by ''Bloomberg'' as Ireland's richest self-made billionaires in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires |work=Bloomberg |date=2019-09-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In May 2025, ''Time'' magazine named Collison to its TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing his contributions through Fast Grants, the Arc Institute, and other philanthropic efforts.<ref>{{cite web |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |publisher=Time Magazine |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In May 2025, Collison was named to ''Time'' magazine's TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing his contributions to scientific funding through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute. ''Time'' described his trajectory as a rise "from schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to Silicon Valley tech founder and billionaire philanthropist."<ref>{{cite news |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |work=Time |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In April 2025, he was elected to the board of directors of [[Meta Platforms]], one of the world's largest technology companies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
His election to the Meta board of directors in April 2025, alongside Dina Powell McCormick, was reported by ''Reuters'', ''Axios'', and other major news outlets as a significant appointment reflecting Collison's standing in the global technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |title=Meta to add Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-add-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-board-2025-04-11/ |work=Reuters |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==


Patrick Collison's founding of Stripe has had a measurable impact on how businesses process payments online. The company's developer-oriented approach to financial infrastructure helped establish a model in which complex financial services could be accessed through simple software integrations. Bloomberg's 2017 feature on the company highlighted how the Collison brothers' approach—reducing the integration of payments to a handful of lines of code—helped reshape the online payments industry.<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-08-01 |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Patrick Collison's career has been defined by his role in reshaping the infrastructure of online payments through Stripe. By creating tools that simplified payment processing for developers and businesses, Stripe contributed to a significant reduction in the technical barriers to starting and operating internet businesses. ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' traced this impact to the company's founding premise: that seven lines of code could replace what had previously been a protracted and complex process of integrating payment capabilities.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=2017-08-01 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Beyond Stripe, Collison's work with Fast Grants and the Arc Institute represents an effort to address structural issues in scientific funding. His 2018 article in ''The Atlantic'' on diminishing returns in science provided a public intellectual framework for his later philanthropic initiatives, which aimed to reduce bureaucratic barriers to scientific research and accelerate the pace of discovery.<ref>{{cite news |date=2018-11 |title=Diminishing Returns in Science |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Beyond his role at Stripe, Collison's philanthropic and intellectual contributions have established him as a figure at the intersection of technology, science, and institutional reform. His co-founding of Fast Grants during the COVID-19 pandemic offered an alternative model for scientific funding that prioritized speed over the bureaucratic processes of traditional grant-making. The Arc Institute extended this interest in reforming scientific research by creating a new institutional model for basic research.


His appointment to Meta's board of directors in 2025, alongside his continued leadership of Stripe, positions Collison as a figure with influence across multiple sectors of the technology industry. His trajectory from rural Ireland to the leadership of a major fintech company and a board seat at one of the world's largest social media companies has been noted in media profiles as an example of the global reach of the technology sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |publisher=Time Magazine |date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Collison's public writing on the productivity of scientific research, including his 2018 article in ''The Atlantic'' co-examining diminishing returns in scientific discovery, has contributed to broader discussions about the relationship between investment in research and the pace of innovation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Science Is Getting Less Bang for Its Buck |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/ |work=The Atlantic |date=2018-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
His appointment to the Meta board of directors in 2025, while continuing to lead Stripe, placed him in a governance role spanning two of the technology industry's most significant companies, further extending his influence across the sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/ |publisher=Meta |date=2025-04-11 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />


[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Business executives]]
[[Category:Business executives]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:American people]]
[[Category:Irish entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:Irish entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:Stripe (company)]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:People from County Tipperary]]
[[Category:People from County Tipperary]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:Stripe (company) people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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Line 154: Line 152:
     "name": "Massachusetts Institute of Technology"
     "name": "Massachusetts Institute of Technology"
   },
   },
   "description": "Irish entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Stripe, co-founder of Fast Grants and Arc Institute.",
   "description": "Irish entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Stripe, co-founder of Fast Grants and the Arc Institute.",
   "sameAs": [
   "sameAs": [
     "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Collison",
     "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Collison",

Revision as of 00:44, 24 February 2026



Patrick Collison
Collison in 2015
Patrick Collison
Born9 9, 1988
BirthplaceDromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland
NationalityIrish
OccupationEntrepreneur, technologist
Known forStripe, Fast Grants, Arc Institute
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology
AwardsYoung Scientist and Technology Exhibition (2004), BT Young Scientist of the Year (2005)
Website[[patrickcollison.com patrickcollison.com] Official site]

Patrick Collison (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur and technologist who co-founded and serves as chief executive officer of Stripe, the financial infrastructure and payments technology company he started with his younger brother, John Collison, in 2010. Born in the small village of Dromineer in County Tipperary, Ireland, Collison demonstrated an early aptitude for computer science, winning the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen.[1] His trajectory from a schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to the helm of one of the world's most valuable private technology companies has made him a prominent figure in the global technology industry.[2] Beyond Stripe, Collison has been active in scientific philanthropy, co-founding Fast Grants in 2020 to rapidly fund COVID-19-related research alongside economist Tyler Cowen, and co-founding the Arc Institute, a nonprofit research organization, in 2021 with bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. In April 2025, Collison was elected to the board of directors of Meta Platforms.[3]

Early Life

Patrick Collison was born on 9 September 1988 in Dromineer, a small village on the shores of Lough Derg in County Tipperary, Ireland. He grew up in a rural setting and attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, an Irish-language primary school, before enrolling at Castletroy College, a secondary school in County Limerick.[4]

Collison showed an early interest in programming and computer science. In 2004, at the age of fifteen, he entered the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of Ireland's most prestigious science competitions for secondary school students. He won the event's top prize the following year, in January 2005, at the age of sixteen, for a project involving the development of a new programming language.[5][6] The award brought him national attention in Ireland, establishing him as a notable young talent in technology.

His younger brother, John Collison, also showed similar aptitude for entrepreneurship and technology. The two brothers would go on to collaborate on several ventures, beginning during their teenage years and culminating in the founding of Stripe. Media profiles of the Collison brothers frequently noted their rural Irish upbringing as an unusual origin story for individuals who would become major figures in Silicon Valley.[7]

While still a teenager, Collison began his first entrepreneurial efforts. In 2007, he and John founded Auctomatic, a company that built software tools for managing online auctions and e-commerce. The company attracted early attention from investors and the technology press. In March 2008, Auctomatic was acquired by the Canadian company Live Current Media for a reported sum in the region of US$5 million, making Collison a teenage millionaire.[8][9] The sale of Auctomatic drew coverage from the BBC, which profiled the young Irish entrepreneurs.[10]

Collison appeared on RTÉ television, including the Miriam programme, as part of media coverage of his early achievements.[11] Technology commentators in Ireland identified both Collison brothers as emerging figures to watch in the Irish technology sector.[12]

Education

Collison attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan for his primary education, receiving instruction through the Irish language. He subsequently attended Castletroy College for his secondary education, where he developed his programming skills and undertook the projects that led to his Young Scientist awards.

Following the sale of Auctomatic and completion of his secondary schooling, Collison enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He began studies at MIT but did not complete his degree, opting instead to pursue entrepreneurial ventures in Silicon Valley. His departure from MIT to focus on what would become Stripe mirrored a pattern seen among other prominent technology founders who left elite universities to build companies.[13]

Career

Auctomatic

Collison's first significant venture was Auctomatic, which he co-founded with his brother John in 2007 while still a teenager. The company developed tools to help users manage their activity across online marketplace platforms, including features for inventory management and auction tracking. The startup participated in the Y Combinator startup accelerator programme.

In March 2008, Live Current Media, a Canadian internet company, acquired Auctomatic. The sale drew significant media attention in Ireland, as both Collison brothers were still teenagers at the time.[14][15] The acquisition was widely covered in the Irish press, with one headline referring to Patrick as the "million dollar boy who changed the face of the web."[16]

Founding of Stripe

In 2010, Patrick and John Collison began working on a new venture aimed at solving what they perceived as a fundamental problem in online commerce: the difficulty of accepting payments on the internet. The brothers observed that integrating payment processing into websites and applications was unnecessarily complex, requiring developers to navigate cumbersome banking relationships, outdated APIs, and extensive regulatory paperwork. Their solution was to create a simple set of developer tools—initially described as requiring just seven lines of code to integrate—that would allow businesses to accept payments online.[17]

The company, initially called /dev/payments, was eventually named Stripe. It launched publicly in September 2011, and early coverage in the technology press positioned it as a potential competitor to established payment processors such as PayPal.[18]

Stripe's approach focused on the developer experience, offering clean, well-documented APIs and simple integration processes. This developer-centric strategy proved effective at attracting early adopters among technology startups, and the platform quickly gained traction in Silicon Valley and beyond. Major technology companies, including those in the e-commerce and software-as-a-service sectors, began adopting Stripe for their payment infrastructure.[19]

Growth of Stripe

Under Patrick Collison's leadership as CEO, Stripe grew from a small startup to one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world. The company expanded its product offerings beyond simple payment processing to include a broad suite of financial infrastructure tools for internet businesses, encompassing billing, fraud prevention, financial reporting, and corporate card programmes.

In November 2016, a new funding round valued Stripe at $9.2 billion, a milestone that, according to Forbes, made Patrick Collison one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.[20] Subsequent funding rounds continued to increase the company's valuation. By September 2019, Bloomberg reported that the Collison brothers had become Ireland's richest self-made billionaires.[21]

Stripe expanded its operations globally, establishing offices across multiple countries and building infrastructure to support payments in dozens of currencies. The company's client base grew to include businesses ranging from small startups to large enterprises, with many prominent internet companies relying on Stripe for their payment infrastructure.

Stablecoins and Financial Innovation

In 2025, under Collison's leadership, Stripe continued to expand into new areas of financial technology, including stablecoins. In September 2025, Collison outlined the benefits that businesses see in using stablecoins, following Stripe's launch of a product called "Tempo" in partnership with the cryptocurrency firm Paradigm.[22] This move signaled Stripe's increasing engagement with blockchain-based financial products as part of its broader payments infrastructure strategy.

Views on Artificial Intelligence

Collison has publicly discussed his views on artificial intelligence and its implications for business and society. In a 2025 interview, he stated that AI is "terrific" for answering factual questions but expressed a preference for his own writing style over AI-generated prose, suggesting a nuanced view of the technology's strengths and limitations.[23] In July 2025, Collison appeared on The New York Times podcast Hard Fork to discuss Stripe, technology trends, and related topics.[24]

Meta Board of Directors

On 11 April 2025, Meta Platforms announced that Collison had been elected to the company's board of directors, effective 15 April 2025. The appointment was made alongside the addition of Dina Powell McCormick, a banking executive and former Republican official.[25][26][27] The appointment placed Collison in a governance role at one of the world's largest technology companies while he continued to serve as CEO of Stripe.

Advocacy on Housing and Urban Policy

Collison has been involved in public discussions around housing policy, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stripe is headquartered. In 2018, he was among technology executives who spoke out about the housing crisis affecting the region, joining CEOs from other major companies in calling for policy reforms to address housing affordability and supply constraints.[28]

Scientific Philanthropy

Fast Grants

In 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collison co-founded Fast Grants alongside economist Tyler Cowen. The initiative was created to provide rapid funding for scientific research related to COVID-19, addressing what its founders perceived as the slow pace of traditional grant-making processes during a public health emergency. Fast Grants aimed to distribute funds within days of receiving applications, in contrast to the months-long timelines typical of conventional grant agencies. The programme funded a range of research projects across virology, epidemiology, and public health.

Arc Institute

In 2021, Collison co-founded the Arc Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Palo Alto, California, with bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. The institute was established to pursue fundamental biological research with a model that gives researchers greater freedom and longer time horizons than is typical in academic settings. Arc Institute focuses on areas including cellular biology, genetics, and disease mechanisms.

Intellectual Interests

Collison has been noted for his broad intellectual interests. He maintains a public bookshelf on his personal website, listing works across science, history, philosophy, economics, and other fields.[29] In 2018, he co-authored an article in The Atlantic exploring the question of whether the rate of scientific discovery is experiencing diminishing returns, drawing on data about research productivity across various fields.[30] This interest in the efficiency and structure of scientific research has been a recurring theme in Collison's public activities and underpins his philanthropic efforts through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute.

Personal Life

Collison was born and raised in Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland. His younger brother, John Collison, serves as President of Stripe. The two brothers have been frequent collaborators since their teenage years, co-founding both Auctomatic and Stripe together.[31]

Collison is an avid reader and maintains an extensive public bookshelf on his personal website, which features titles spanning numerous academic and intellectual disciplines.[32] He has publicly discussed topics including scientific progress, economic growth, institutional design, and the philosophy of technology.

Collison resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stripe is headquartered.

Recognition

Collison's early recognition came through Ireland's Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. He won a prize at the competition in 2004 and was named the overall winner, BT Young Scientist of the Year, in January 2005 at the age of sixteen.[33][34] The Irish Times later profiled the Young Scientist competition and its alumni, noting Collison among its notable past winners.[35]

In 2016, Forbes reported that a new investment round at Stripe made Collison one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.[36] The Collison brothers were subsequently identified by Bloomberg as Ireland's richest self-made billionaires in 2019.[37]

In May 2025, Collison was named to Time magazine's TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing his contributions to scientific funding through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute. Time described his trajectory as a rise "from schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to Silicon Valley tech founder and billionaire philanthropist."[38]

His election to the Meta board of directors in April 2025, alongside Dina Powell McCormick, was reported by Reuters, Axios, and other major news outlets as a significant appointment reflecting Collison's standing in the global technology industry.[39]

Legacy

Patrick Collison's career has been defined by his role in reshaping the infrastructure of online payments through Stripe. By creating tools that simplified payment processing for developers and businesses, Stripe contributed to a significant reduction in the technical barriers to starting and operating internet businesses. Bloomberg Businessweek traced this impact to the company's founding premise: that seven lines of code could replace what had previously been a protracted and complex process of integrating payment capabilities.[40]

Beyond his role at Stripe, Collison's philanthropic and intellectual contributions have established him as a figure at the intersection of technology, science, and institutional reform. His co-founding of Fast Grants during the COVID-19 pandemic offered an alternative model for scientific funding that prioritized speed over the bureaucratic processes of traditional grant-making. The Arc Institute extended this interest in reforming scientific research by creating a new institutional model for basic research.

Collison's public writing on the productivity of scientific research, including his 2018 article in The Atlantic co-examining diminishing returns in scientific discovery, has contributed to broader discussions about the relationship between investment in research and the pace of innovation.[41]

His appointment to the Meta board of directors in 2025, while continuing to lead Stripe, placed him in a governance role spanning two of the technology industry's most significant companies, further extending his influence across the sector.[42]

References

  1. ↑ "Young Scientist winner announced".RTÉ News.2005-01-14.http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ↑ "TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison".Time.2025-05-20.https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors".Meta.2025-04-11.https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ↑ "Patrick Collison".patrickcollison.com.http://patrickcollison.com/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Young Scientist winner announced".RTÉ News.2005-01-14.http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Young Scientist winners".RTÉ News.2004-01-09.http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg Businessweek.2017-08-01.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Teenage brothers' firm sold for millions".RTÉ News.2008-03-27.http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ↑ "Million dollar boy who changed the face of the web".Evening Herald.http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Teenage brothers sell web firm".BBC News.2008-03-27.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ "Miriam - Patrick Collison".RTÉ.2009-07-18.https://web.archive.org/web/20090801122940/http://www.rte.ie/tv/miriam/20090718.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Two to Watch".InsideView.ie.2009-01.http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg Businessweek.2017-08-01.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ "Teenage brothers' firm sold for millions".RTÉ News.2008-03-27.http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  15. ↑ "Teenage brothers sell web firm".BBC News.2008-03-27.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "Million dollar boy who changed the face of the web".Evening Herald.http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg Businessweek.2017-08-01.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  18. ↑ "Stealth Payment Startup Stripe".TechCrunch.2011-03-28.https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/stealth-payment-startup-stripe-paypal.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  19. ↑ "Stripe: the small British company taking on PayPal, Apple, Amazon and Facebook".Wired UK.https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stripe-payments-apple-amazon-facebook.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ↑ MacRyanRyan"Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire".Forbes.2016-11-28.https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  21. ↑ "Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires".Bloomberg.2019-09-20.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  22. ↑ "Stripe CEO Patrick Collison Explains Why Businesses Are Turning to Stablecoins".Yahoo Finance.2025-09-06.https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-explains-141645381.html?prefer_reader_view=1&prefer_safari=1.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  23. ↑ "Stripe's CEO says he loves asking AI questions — but it falls short in another area".Business Insider.2025-07-15.https://www.businessinsider.com/stripe-ceo-patrick-collison-ai-ask-questions-writing-grok-2025-7.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  24. ↑ "Hard Fork Live, Part 2: Patrick Collison of Stripe, Kathryn Zealand of Skip, and Listener Questions".The New York Times.2025-07-04.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/podcasts/hardfork-live-patrick-collison.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  25. ↑ "Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors".Meta.2025-04-11.https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  26. ↑ "Exclusive: Meta adds Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board".Axios.2025-04-11.https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/exclusive-meta-adds-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-to-board.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  27. ↑ "Meta to add Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board".Reuters.2025-04-11.https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-add-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-board-2025-04-11/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  28. ↑ "Tech CEOs on housing crisis".San Francisco Business Journal.2018-05-03.https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/05/03/tech-ceos-housing-crisis-stripe-salesforce-yelp.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  29. ↑ "Bookshelf".patrickcollison.com.https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  30. ↑ "Science Is Getting Less Bang for Its Buck".The Atlantic.2018-11.https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  31. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg Businessweek.2017-08-01.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  32. ↑ "Bookshelf".patrickcollison.com.https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  33. ↑ "Young Scientist winner announced".RTÉ News.2005-01-14.http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  34. ↑ "Young Scientist winners".RTÉ News.2004-01-09.http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  35. ↑ "Young Scientists: Where creativity and charm collide".The Irish Times.https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/young-scientists-where-creativity-and-charm-collide-1.3357542.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  36. ↑ MacRyanRyan"Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire".Forbes.2016-11-28.https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/11/28/stripe-investment-makes-cofounder-the-worlds-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#4e3a548d41b4.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  37. ↑ "Stripe Brothers Become Ireland's Richest Self-Made Billionaires".Bloomberg.2019-09-20.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-20/stripe-brothers-become-ireland-s-richest-self-made-billionaires.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  38. ↑ "TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison".Time.2025-05-20.https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  39. ↑ "Meta to add Dina Powell McCormick, Patrick Collison to board".Reuters.2025-04-11.https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-add-dina-powell-mccormick-patrick-collison-board-2025-04-11/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  40. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg Businessweek.2017-08-01.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-01/how-two-brothers-turned-seven-lines-of-code-into-a-9-2-billion-startup.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  41. ↑ "Science Is Getting Less Bang for Its Buck".The Atlantic.2018-11.https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  42. ↑ "Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to Join Meta Board of Directors".Meta.2025-04-11.https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/patrick-collison-and-dina-powell-mccormick-to-join-meta-board-of-directors/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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