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In a stunning and decisive move, eBay has flatly rejected GameStop’s massive $56 billion unsolicited takeover offer, dismissing the bold proposal from activist investor Ryan Cohen as “neither credible nor attractive.”

The online marketplace giant made its position crystal clear in a letter from Board Chairman Paul Pressler, saying the company’s board and independent advisors had thoroughly reviewed the offer and found it lacking on multiple fronts.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen had proposed acquiring eBay for $125 per share in a cash-and-stock deal just last week — an aggressive bid that would have seen the smaller video game retailer swallow a much larger company with a market cap of over $48 billion.

eBay highlighted several red flags with the proposal, including serious uncertainty around GameStop’s financing, significant operational risks, and the heavy debt load the combined company would carry. Although Cohen claimed access to $20 billion in financing from TD Securities plus nearly $9 billion in cash, eBay remained unconvinced.

The company also pushed back against Cohen’s vision for running eBay more “efficiently,” which included major headcount reductions and cuts to marketing spend.

This swift and harsh rejection marks a significant setback for Ryan Cohen, the meme-stock legend who transformed GameStop into a cultural phenomenon. His attempt to pull off one of the most lopsided takeovers in recent memory — a smaller, volatile company trying to absorb a much larger and more established player — appears to have been dead on arrival.

Wall Street analysts largely viewed the bid with skepticism from the start, pointing to the lack of obvious synergies between a video game retailer and a general online marketplace. Cohen’s combative and light-on-details appearance on CNBC last week did little to inspire confidence.

For eBay, the rejection reinforces its current turnaround strategy under CEO Jamie Iannone, which has focused on niche categories like collectibles and used luxury goods. The company’s shares have risen 24% year-to-date, showing investors still have faith in its independent path.

The ball is now back in Cohen’s court. He had previously hinted he was willing to take the offer directly to eBay shareholders if the board refused to engage. Whether he chooses to escalate this into a full proxy fight or walk away remains to be seen.

One thing is clear: Cohen’s reputation as a bold, disruptive force in retail just ran headfirst into the cold reality of corporate governance and financial scrutiny.