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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name         = Patrick Collison
| name = Patrick Collison
| image       = Patrick Collison (cropped).jpg
| image = Patrick Collison (cropped).jpg
| image_size   = 220px
| image_size = 220px
| 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|df=y}}
| birth_place = Dromineer, [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
| birth_place = Dromineer, [[County Tipperary]], Ireland
| nationality = Irish
| nationality = Irish
| education    = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| occupation = Entrepreneur, software engineer, CEO
| occupation   = Entrepreneur, technologist
| known_for = [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]], Fast Grants, Arc Institute
| known_for   = [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]], Fast Grants, Arc Institute
| education = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| awards       = Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (2004), BT Young Scientist of the Year (2005)
| awards = 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 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>
Patrick Collison (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur, software engineer, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of [[Stripe (company)|Stripe]], a financial technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Born in the rural village of Dromineer in County Tipperary, Ireland, Collison displayed an early aptitude for computer science and programming, winning Ireland's 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 subsequently attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before leaving to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. In 2010, alongside his younger brother John Collison, he co-founded Stripe, which grew from a small startup into one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world. Collison has also pursued interests in scientific research and philanthropy, co-founding Fast Grants in 2020 to accelerate funding for COVID-19-related research and co-founding the Arc Institute, a nonprofit biomedical research organization, in 2021. In 2025, he was named to the TIME100 Philanthropy list<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-20 |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |work=Time Magazine |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> and was appointed 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 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>
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, far from the technology hubs that would later define his career. Collison showed an early interest in computers and programming, teaching himself to code at a young age. He attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, an Irish-language primary school, before enrolling at 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>


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.
Collison's exceptional abilities became publicly apparent when he entered the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of Ireland's most prestigious science competitions for secondary school students. In 2004, at the age of fifteen, he competed in the 40th 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> The following year, in January 2005, he won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at age sixteen, receiving the BT Young Scientist of the Year award for his work on developing 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> His project demonstrated a level of sophistication in computer science that was unusual for a secondary school student and attracted considerable attention in the Irish media.


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>
Growing up alongside his younger brother John, who would later become his business partner, Patrick was part of a household that evidently encouraged intellectual curiosity. John Collison also went on to win recognition at the Young Scientist competition, and the two brothers were featured together in Irish media as notable young achievers. An Irish media profile described the Collison brothers as "two to watch" in the Irish technology landscape.<ref>{{cite web |title=Two to watch |url=http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html |publisher=InsideView |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
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 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 completed his secondary education at Castletroy College in Limerick, Ireland. Following his success at the Young Scientist competition and his growing interest in computer science, he gained admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, one of the world's foremost institutions for science and technology education. He enrolled at MIT to study computer science but did not complete his degree, choosing instead to leave university to focus on entrepreneurship.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |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>


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>
Before attending MIT, Collison had already begun exploring business ventures. In 2007–2008, while still a teenager, he and his brother John developed and sold a software project, which brought them early recognition in both Irish and international media. A BBC report in 2008 described Collison's early entrepreneurial achievements.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Collison brothers venture |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The Irish Herald also profiled him 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=The Herald (Ireland) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This early commercial success and the recognition it brought informed his subsequent decision to leave MIT and pursue technology startups full-time.


== Career ==
== Career ==


=== Auctomatic ===
=== Early Ventures ===
 
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.<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>
Before founding Stripe, the Collison brothers gained experience in the technology startup world. While still teenagers in Ireland, they developed Auctomatic, a software company focused on tools for online auction sellers. The company attracted investor interest and was eventually acquired, providing the brothers with capital and credibility in Silicon Valley circles. The sale of Auctomatic was reported by several media outlets, including BBC News, which covered the story of the young Irish entrepreneurs making an impact in the technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Collison brothers venture |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> RTÉ also reported on Collison's early business activities, highlighting his transition from prizewinning student to technology entrepreneur.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-03-27 |title=Collison business profile |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss |work=RTÉ News |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Founding of Stripe ===
The experience of building and selling Auctomatic gave Collison firsthand exposure to the difficulties of accepting payments online — a problem that would directly inspire the creation of Stripe. In a 2009 appearance on RTÉ's ''The Saturday Night Show'' with Miriam O'Callaghan, Collison discussed his entrepreneurial journey and future plans.<ref>{{cite web |title=Miriam O'Callaghan Show – 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>


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>
=== Founding and Growth of Stripe ===


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>
In 2010, Patrick and John Collison founded Stripe, initially operating in stealth mode. The company's core premise was to simplify online payments for developers and businesses by providing a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that could be integrated into websites and applications with minimal code. Bloomberg later described the origin story as "two brothers turned seven lines of code into a $9.2 billion startup," referring to the simplicity of Stripe's initial integration process.<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>


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>
Stripe emerged from stealth in 2011, attracting early attention from technology media. TechCrunch reported on the company's launch, comparing it to PayPal and highlighting its developer-focused approach to payments.<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> The company quickly attracted prominent investors and early customers, positioning itself as a new kind of infrastructure provider for internet commerce.


=== Growth of Stripe ===
Under Collison's leadership as CEO, Stripe expanded its product offerings beyond simple payment processing to include tools for subscription billing, fraud prevention, international payments, business incorporation, and financial reporting. The company's customer base grew to include both small startups and large enterprises, with major technology companies adopting Stripe's infrastructure. A Wired UK profile noted that Stripe's clients came to include companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.<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>


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.
Stripe's growth in valuation was substantial. In 2016, Forbes reported that a new investment round had 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> By 2019, both Patrick and John Collison were reported by Bloomberg to have become 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>


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>
=== Stablecoins and Crypto Infrastructure ===


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.
In 2025, under Collison's direction, Stripe deepened its involvement in cryptocurrency-related financial infrastructure. In September 2025, Stripe and the venture firm Paradigm launched a product called "Tempo" related to stablecoin payments. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Collison explained why businesses were increasingly turning to stablecoins as a medium for transactions, citing speed, lower costs, and global accessibility as key factors driving adoption.<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> This move signaled Stripe's continued expansion beyond traditional card-based payment processing into emerging financial technologies.


=== Stablecoins and Financial Innovation ===
=== Board Appointment at Meta ===


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.
On 11 April 2025, Meta Platforms announced that Collison had been elected to the company's board of directors, effective 15 April 2025, alongside Dina Powell McCormick.<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> The appointment was reported by Reuters<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> and Axios, which noted Collison's position as the CEO of a fintech company and his broader involvement in technology leadership.<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> The appointment placed Collison in a governance role at one of the world's largest technology companies in addition to his duties as Stripe's CEO.


=== Views on Artificial Intelligence ===
=== 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.<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>
In a 2025 interview with Business Insider, Collison discussed his personal use of artificial intelligence tools. He described AI as "terrific" for answering factual questions and said he enjoyed using AI systems for research and inquiry. However, he expressed a preference for his own writing style over AI-generated prose, indicating that while he found AI useful as a tool for information retrieval, he did not rely on it for creative or stylistic output.<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>
 
=== 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.<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.
Collison also appeared on the New York Times podcast ''Hard Fork'' in July 2025, where he discussed Stripe's strategy and broader technology topics.<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>


=== Advocacy on Housing and Urban Policy ===
=== Advocacy on Housing ===


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 publicly engaged with policy issues related to housing affordability, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area where Stripe is headquartered. In 2018, the San Francisco Business Times reported that Collison was among several technology CEOs who spoke out about the housing crisis affecting the region's workers.<ref>{{cite news |date=2018-05-03 |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 Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Scientific Philanthropy ===
== Philanthropy and Research ==


==== Fast Grants ====
=== 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.
In 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collison co-founded Fast Grants with economist Tyler Cowen. The initiative was designed to provide rapid funding to scientists working on COVID-19-related research, bypassing the traditionally slow grant-review process of conventional scientific funding bodies. The program aimed to get money to researchers within days rather than the months or years typical of government and institutional grants. The initiative attracted attention as an innovative model for science funding during a public health emergency.


==== Arc Institute ====
=== 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.
In 2021, Collison co-founded the Arc Institute, a nonprofit biomedical research organization, alongside bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. The institute was established to support fundamental biological research with a model that gives scientists greater freedom to pursue long-term projects without the constraints of traditional grant cycles. The founding of the Arc Institute reflected Collison's broader interest in the progress of science, which he has written about extensively.


=== Intellectual Interests ===
=== Science and Progress ===


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.
Collison has publicly engaged with questions about the pace and nature of scientific progress. In 2018, he co-authored a piece in ''The Atlantic'' examining the concept of diminishing returns in science — the question of whether scientific breakthroughs are becoming harder to achieve despite increasing investment.<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> His personal website includes a curated bookshelf that reflects his wide-ranging intellectual interests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison's Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |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]], 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 a native of Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland, and holds Irish citizenship. His younger brother, John Collison, serves as president of Stripe, making them one of the most prominent sibling partnerships in the technology industry. Collison has maintained a personal website where he shares reading lists, essays, and other intellectual interests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison |url=http://patrickcollison.com/ |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.
Collison is known as an avid reader. His personal website features an extensive bookshelf spanning subjects including economics, science, history, philosophy, and literature.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Collison's Bookshelf |url=https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf |publisher=Patrick Collison (personal website) |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The Irish Times has noted the Collison brothers' background in the context of Ireland's Young Scientist competition, describing the event as a place "where creativity and charm collide" and highlighting how former participants have gone on to significant achievements.<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 resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Stripe is headquartered.


== Recognition ==
== 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.<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>
Collison has received recognition both in Ireland and internationally for his entrepreneurial and philanthropic work. His earliest major accolade was the BT Young Scientist of the Year award in 2005, which he received for his project at the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.<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>


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 2016, a funding round for Stripe led Forbes to identify Collison as 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>


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 May 2025, Time Magazine named Collison to its TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing his philanthropic activities including Fast Grants and the Arc Institute. The accompanying profile described his trajectory "from schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to Silicon Valley tech founder and billionaire philanthropist."<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-20 |title=TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/ |work=Time Magazine |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>
His appointment to the board of directors of Meta Platforms in April 2025 represented a further marker of his standing in the global technology industry, placing him in a governance role at one of the world's largest 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>


== Legacy ==
== 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.<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's career has been defined by the intersection of technology entrepreneurship, infrastructure building, and an intellectual engagement with science and progress. Stripe, under his leadership, has reshaped how businesses of all sizes accept payments online, and the company's APIs have become a foundational layer of internet commerce. Bloomberg's characterization of Stripe's origin — "seven lines of code" turning into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise — has become part of the broader narrative of developer-led innovation in Silicon Valley.<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>
 
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.<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>
In Ireland, Collison and his brother are among the most prominent figures to have emerged from the country's technology sector. Their journey from the Young Scientist competition to founding a major global technology company has been cited in Irish media as an example of the country's capacity to produce technology entrepreneurs.<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> Their status as Ireland's richest self-made billionaires, as reported by Bloomberg in 2019, underscored the scale of Stripe's growth.<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>


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>
Beyond Stripe, Collison's involvement in science funding through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute has contributed to broader discussions about how scientific research is funded and organized. His co-authored work in ''The Atlantic'' on the question of 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> and his establishment of institutions designed to support long-term fundamental research suggest an engagement with questions about scientific progress that extends beyond his role as a technology executive.


== References ==
== References ==
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Revision as of 00:44, 24 February 2026



Patrick Collison
Collison in 2015
Patrick Collison
Born9 9, 1988
BirthplaceDromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland
NationalityIrish
OccupationEntrepreneur, software engineer, CEO
Known forStripe, Fast Grants, Arc Institute
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology
AwardsBT Young Scientist of the Year (2005)
Website[[patrickcollison.com patrickcollison.com] Official site]

Patrick Collison (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur, software engineer, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Stripe, a financial technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Born in the rural village of Dromineer in County Tipperary, Ireland, Collison displayed an early aptitude for computer science and programming, winning Ireland's Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen.[1] He subsequently attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before leaving to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. In 2010, alongside his younger brother John Collison, he co-founded Stripe, which grew from a small startup into one of the most valuable private technology companies in the world. Collison has also pursued interests in scientific research and philanthropy, co-founding Fast Grants in 2020 to accelerate funding for COVID-19-related research and co-founding the Arc Institute, a nonprofit biomedical research organization, in 2021. In 2025, he was named to the TIME100 Philanthropy list[2] and was appointed 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, far from the technology hubs that would later define his career. Collison showed an early interest in computers and programming, teaching himself to code at a young age. He attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, an Irish-language primary school, before enrolling at Castletroy College for his secondary education.[4]

Collison's exceptional abilities became publicly apparent when he entered the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of Ireland's most prestigious science competitions for secondary school students. In 2004, at the age of fifteen, he competed in the 40th edition of the exhibition.[5] The following year, in January 2005, he won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at age sixteen, receiving the BT Young Scientist of the Year award for his work on developing a new programming language.[6] His project demonstrated a level of sophistication in computer science that was unusual for a secondary school student and attracted considerable attention in the Irish media.

Growing up alongside his younger brother John, who would later become his business partner, Patrick was part of a household that evidently encouraged intellectual curiosity. John Collison also went on to win recognition at the Young Scientist competition, and the two brothers were featured together in Irish media as notable young achievers. An Irish media profile described the Collison brothers as "two to watch" in the Irish technology landscape.[7]

Education

Collison completed his secondary education at Castletroy College in Limerick, Ireland. Following his success at the Young Scientist competition and his growing interest in computer science, he gained admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, one of the world's foremost institutions for science and technology education. He enrolled at MIT to study computer science but did not complete his degree, choosing instead to leave university to focus on entrepreneurship.[8]

Before attending MIT, Collison had already begun exploring business ventures. In 2007–2008, while still a teenager, he and his brother John developed and sold a software project, which brought them early recognition in both Irish and international media. A BBC report in 2008 described Collison's early entrepreneurial achievements.[9] The Irish Herald also profiled him as the "million dollar boy who changed the face of the web."[10] This early commercial success and the recognition it brought informed his subsequent decision to leave MIT and pursue technology startups full-time.

Career

Early Ventures

Before founding Stripe, the Collison brothers gained experience in the technology startup world. While still teenagers in Ireland, they developed Auctomatic, a software company focused on tools for online auction sellers. The company attracted investor interest and was eventually acquired, providing the brothers with capital and credibility in Silicon Valley circles. The sale of Auctomatic was reported by several media outlets, including BBC News, which covered the story of the young Irish entrepreneurs making an impact in the technology industry.[11] RTÉ also reported on Collison's early business activities, highlighting his transition from prizewinning student to technology entrepreneur.[12]

The experience of building and selling Auctomatic gave Collison firsthand exposure to the difficulties of accepting payments online — a problem that would directly inspire the creation of Stripe. In a 2009 appearance on RTÉ's The Saturday Night Show with Miriam O'Callaghan, Collison discussed his entrepreneurial journey and future plans.[13]

Founding and Growth of Stripe

In 2010, Patrick and John Collison founded Stripe, initially operating in stealth mode. The company's core premise was to simplify online payments for developers and businesses by providing a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that could be integrated into websites and applications with minimal code. Bloomberg later described the origin story as "two brothers turned seven lines of code into a $9.2 billion startup," referring to the simplicity of Stripe's initial integration process.[14]

Stripe emerged from stealth in 2011, attracting early attention from technology media. TechCrunch reported on the company's launch, comparing it to PayPal and highlighting its developer-focused approach to payments.[15] The company quickly attracted prominent investors and early customers, positioning itself as a new kind of infrastructure provider for internet commerce.

Under Collison's leadership as CEO, Stripe expanded its product offerings beyond simple payment processing to include tools for subscription billing, fraud prevention, international payments, business incorporation, and financial reporting. The company's customer base grew to include both small startups and large enterprises, with major technology companies adopting Stripe's infrastructure. A Wired UK profile noted that Stripe's clients came to include companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.[16]

Stripe's growth in valuation was substantial. In 2016, Forbes reported that a new investment round had made Patrick Collison one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.[17] By 2019, both Patrick and John Collison were reported by Bloomberg to have become Ireland's richest self-made billionaires.[18]

Stablecoins and Crypto Infrastructure

In 2025, under Collison's direction, Stripe deepened its involvement in cryptocurrency-related financial infrastructure. In September 2025, Stripe and the venture firm Paradigm launched a product called "Tempo" related to stablecoin payments. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Collison explained why businesses were increasingly turning to stablecoins as a medium for transactions, citing speed, lower costs, and global accessibility as key factors driving adoption.[19] This move signaled Stripe's continued expansion beyond traditional card-based payment processing into emerging financial technologies.

Board Appointment at Meta

On 11 April 2025, Meta Platforms announced that Collison had been elected to the company's board of directors, effective 15 April 2025, alongside Dina Powell McCormick.[20] The appointment was reported by Reuters[21] and Axios, which noted Collison's position as the CEO of a fintech company and his broader involvement in technology leadership.[22] The appointment placed Collison in a governance role at one of the world's largest technology companies in addition to his duties as Stripe's CEO.

Views on Artificial Intelligence

In a 2025 interview with Business Insider, Collison discussed his personal use of artificial intelligence tools. He described AI as "terrific" for answering factual questions and said he enjoyed using AI systems for research and inquiry. However, he expressed a preference for his own writing style over AI-generated prose, indicating that while he found AI useful as a tool for information retrieval, he did not rely on it for creative or stylistic output.[23]

Collison also appeared on the New York Times podcast Hard Fork in July 2025, where he discussed Stripe's strategy and broader technology topics.[24]

Advocacy on Housing

Collison has publicly engaged with policy issues related to housing affordability, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area where Stripe is headquartered. In 2018, the San Francisco Business Times reported that Collison was among several technology CEOs who spoke out about the housing crisis affecting the region's workers.[25]

Philanthropy and Research

Fast Grants

In 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collison co-founded Fast Grants with economist Tyler Cowen. The initiative was designed to provide rapid funding to scientists working on COVID-19-related research, bypassing the traditionally slow grant-review process of conventional scientific funding bodies. The program aimed to get money to researchers within days rather than the months or years typical of government and institutional grants. The initiative attracted attention as an innovative model for science funding during a public health emergency.

Arc Institute

In 2021, Collison co-founded the Arc Institute, a nonprofit biomedical research organization, alongside bioscientists Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu. The institute was established to support fundamental biological research with a model that gives scientists greater freedom to pursue long-term projects without the constraints of traditional grant cycles. The founding of the Arc Institute reflected Collison's broader interest in the progress of science, which he has written about extensively.

Science and Progress

Collison has publicly engaged with questions about the pace and nature of scientific progress. In 2018, he co-authored a piece in The Atlantic examining the concept of diminishing returns in science — the question of whether scientific breakthroughs are becoming harder to achieve despite increasing investment.[26] His personal website includes a curated bookshelf that reflects his wide-ranging intellectual interests.[27]

Personal Life

Collison is a native of Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland, and holds Irish citizenship. His younger brother, John Collison, serves as president of Stripe, making them one of the most prominent sibling partnerships in the technology industry. Collison has maintained a personal website where he shares reading lists, essays, and other intellectual interests.[28]

Collison is known as an avid reader. His personal website features an extensive bookshelf spanning subjects including economics, science, history, philosophy, and literature.[29] The Irish Times has noted the Collison brothers' background in the context of Ireland's Young Scientist competition, describing the event as a place "where creativity and charm collide" and highlighting how former participants have gone on to significant achievements.[30]

Recognition

Collison has received recognition both in Ireland and internationally for his entrepreneurial and philanthropic work. His earliest major accolade was the BT Young Scientist of the Year award in 2005, which he received for his project at the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.[31]

In 2016, a funding round for Stripe led Forbes to identify Collison as one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires.[32]

In May 2025, Time Magazine named Collison to its TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognizing his philanthropic activities including Fast Grants and the Arc Institute. The accompanying profile described his trajectory "from schoolboy coder in rural Ireland to Silicon Valley tech founder and billionaire philanthropist."[33]

His appointment to the board of directors of Meta Platforms in April 2025 represented a further marker of his standing in the global technology industry, placing him in a governance role at one of the world's largest companies.[34]

Legacy

Collison's career has been defined by the intersection of technology entrepreneurship, infrastructure building, and an intellectual engagement with science and progress. Stripe, under his leadership, has reshaped how businesses of all sizes accept payments online, and the company's APIs have become a foundational layer of internet commerce. Bloomberg's characterization of Stripe's origin — "seven lines of code" turning into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise — has become part of the broader narrative of developer-led innovation in Silicon Valley.[35]

In Ireland, Collison and his brother are among the most prominent figures to have emerged from the country's technology sector. Their journey from the Young Scientist competition to founding a major global technology company has been cited in Irish media as an example of the country's capacity to produce technology entrepreneurs.[36] Their status as Ireland's richest self-made billionaires, as reported by Bloomberg in 2019, underscored the scale of Stripe's growth.[37]

Beyond Stripe, Collison's involvement in science funding through Fast Grants and the Arc Institute has contributed to broader discussions about how scientific research is funded and organized. His co-authored work in The Atlantic on the question of diminishing returns in science[38] and his establishment of institutions designed to support long-term fundamental research suggest an engagement with questions about scientific progress that extends beyond his role as a technology executive.

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 Magazine.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".Patrick Collison (personal website).http://patrickcollison.com/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Young Scientist competition".RTÉ News.2004-01-09.http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0109/scientist.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Young Scientist winner announced".RTÉ News.2005-01-14.http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ "Two to watch".InsideView.http://www.insideview.ie/irisheyes/2009/01/two-to-watch.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg.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.
  9. ↑ "Collison brothers venture".BBC News.2008-03-27.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Million dollar boy who changed the face of the web".The Herald (Ireland).http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/money/million-dollar-boy-who-changed-the-face-of-the-web-1594088.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ "Collison brothers venture".BBC News.2008-03-27.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7316143.stm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Collison business profile".RTÉ News.2008-03-27.http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0327/collison.html?rss.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Miriam O'Callaghan Show – Patrick Collison".RTÉ.2009-07-18.https://web.archive.org/web/20090801122940/http://www.rte.ie/tv/miriam/20090718.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg.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.
  15. ↑ "Stealth Payment Startup Stripe".TechCrunch.2011-03-28.https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/stealth-payment-startup-stripe-paypal.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "Stripe payments: Apple, Amazon, Facebook".Wired UK.https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stripe-payments-apple-amazon-facebook.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ "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.
  20. ↑ "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.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ "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.
  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. ↑ "Tech CEOs on housing crisis".San Francisco Business Times.2018-05-03.https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/05/03/tech-ceos-housing-crisis-stripe-salesforce-yelp.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  26. ↑ "Diminishing Returns in Science".The Atlantic.2018-11.https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  27. ↑ "Patrick Collison's Bookshelf".Patrick Collison (personal website).https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  28. ↑ "Patrick Collison".Patrick Collison (personal website).http://patrickcollison.com/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  29. ↑ "Patrick Collison's Bookshelf".Patrick Collison (personal website).https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  30. ↑ "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.
  31. ↑ "Young Scientist winner announced".RTÉ News.2005-01-14.http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0114/9news.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  32. ↑ 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.
  33. ↑ "TIME100 Philanthropy: Patrick Collison".Time Magazine.2025-05-20.https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286061/patrick-collison/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  34. ↑ "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.
  35. ↑ "How Two Brothers Turned Seven Lines of Code Into a $9.2 Billion Startup".Bloomberg.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.
  36. ↑ "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.
  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. ↑ "Diminishing Returns in Science".The Atlantic.2018-11.https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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