Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman is one of Silicon Valley's most influential entrepreneur-investors, best known as the co-founder of LinkedIn, the professional networking platform that fundamentally transformed how professionals connect, recruit, and market themselves online. LinkedIn's data-rich identity graph and professional audience targeting capabilities made it a cornerstone of B2B digital advertising, and Hoffman's vision for professional identity online has had lasting implications for audience segmentation, first-party data strategies, and professional-context advertising. As Venture Partner at Greylock Partners, Hoffman continues to back transformative companies at the intersection of AI, enterprise software, and consumer technology. Hoffman's investment portfolio reads as a who's who of influential tech companies, including early stakes in Facebook, Airbnb, and Convoy, as well as co-founding Inflection AI and backing Manas AI, reflecting his deep conviction in the transformative power of artificial intelligence. His seat on Microsoft's board of directors — which acquired LinkedIn in 2016 — gives him ongoing strategic influence over one of the world's largest digital advertising and enterprise software ecosystems. His thinking on network effects, AI-driven personalization, and the future of professional identity continues to shape how platforms approach audience monetization and data strategy. Beyond investing, Hoffman is a prolific author, podcaster, and public intellectual. His podcast 'Masters of Scale' and books such as 'The Startup of You' and 'Blitzscaling' have made him a leading voice on scaling technology businesses. In AdTech-adjacent circles, his frameworks around network effects and data flywheels are widely cited by practitioners building identity resolution, data clean room, and audience intelligence products.
Last updated Sep 26, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment · Connections updated Sep 28, 2026
AI-drafted from public sources6 sources cited
- Years in industry
- 25 years
Bio
Reid Hoffman is one of Silicon Valley's most influential entrepreneur-investors, best known as the co-founder of LinkedIn, the professional networking platform that fundamentally transformed how professionals connect, recruit, and market themselves online. LinkedIn's data-rich identity graph and professional audience targeting capabilities made it a cornerstone of B2B digital advertising, and Hoffman's vision for professional identity online has had lasting implications for audience segmentation, first-party data strategies, and professional-context advertising. As Venture Partner at Greylock Partners, Hoffman continues to back transformative companies at the intersection of AI, enterprise software, and consumer technology. Hoffman's investment portfolio reads as a who's who of influential tech companies, including early stakes in Facebook, Airbnb, and Convoy, as well as co-founding Inflection AI and backing Manas AI, reflecting his deep conviction in the transformative power of artificial intelligence. His seat on Microsoft's board of directors — which acquired LinkedIn in 2016 — gives him ongoing strategic influence over one of the world's largest digital advertising and enterprise software ecosystems. His thinking on network effects, AI-driven personalization, and the future of professional identity continues to shape how platforms approach audience monetization and data strategy. Beyond investing, Hoffman is a prolific author, podcaster, and public intellectual. His podcast 'Masters of Scale' and books such as 'The Startup of You' and 'Blitzscaling' have made him a leading voice on scaling technology businesses. In AdTech-adjacent circles, his frameworks around network effects and data flywheels are widely cited by practitioners building identity resolution, data clean room, and audience intelligence products.
Career
independent directorCurrent
Microsoft · Since 2017
Roles with a cited source. All linked roles are in the Roles tab.
Expertise & education
Expertise
Education
- M.S. Philosophy, Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar)
- B.S. Symbolic Systems, Stanford University
Speaking topics
Recognition
Notable achievements
- Co-founded LinkedIn, which grew to 900M+ members and was acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion in 2016
- Co-founded Inflection AI, developer of the Pi personal AI assistant
- Early investor in Facebook, Airbnb, and dozens of other transformative tech companies through Greylock
- Serves on Microsoft's board of directors, influencing strategy for one of the world's largest enterprise and advertising platforms
- Named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list
Awards
Publications
- Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies (2018)
- The Startup of You (2012)
- The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age (2014)
- Masters of Scale (podcast, ongoing)