# Alfred Lin

> Alfred Lin is the Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital, one of venture capital's most storied firms, where he co-steers a $7 billion AI-focused expansion fund alongside Pat Grady. A Taiwanese immigrant who resold Tony Hsieh's pizza by the slice at Harvard, Lin went on to be CFO, COO, and Chairman of Zappos - guiding it to its first profitable year and a $1.2 billion Amazon acquisition - before joining Sequoia in 2010. His portfolio reads like a decade of defining bets: Airbnb, DoorDash, Uber, Instacart, Reddit, and OpenAI. A three-time Forbes Midas List #1, he is the rare investor who has lived the operator's grind and brings that lens to every founder he backs.

- **Role:** Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital
- **Organizations:** Sequoia Capital, Zappos, LinkExchange, Venture Frogs, Airbnb (board), DoorDash (board)
- **From:** Taiwan
- **Nationality:** Taiwanese-American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Stuyvesant High School, BA in Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, MS in Statistics (dropped PhD program), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Three-time Forbes Midas List #1 ranked investor, Managed Zappos through 9/11 crisis, 2008 financial crash, and sale to Amazon for $1.2 billion, Led Zappos to its first profitable year in 2006

## Career timeline

- **1972** — Born in Taiwan
- **1978** — Immigrated to New York City with family at age 6
- **~1990** — Enrolled at Harvard University; met Tony Hsieh
- **~1994** — Graduated Harvard with BA in Applied Mathematics
- **~1994-1996** — Pursued PhD in Statistics at Stanford; dropped program to join startup
- **1996** — Joined LinkExchange as CFO alongside Tony Hsieh and Ali Partovi
- **1998** — LinkExchange acquired by Microsoft for $265 million (18 months after joining)
- **1999** — Co-founded Venture Frogs incubator/seed fund with Tony Hsieh; invested in Ask Jeeves, OpenTable, Zappos
- **2001** — Joined Tellme Networks as VP Finance (later acquired by Microsoft for $800M)
- **2005** — Joined Zappos as CFO, COO, and Chairman
- **2006** — Led Zappos to its first profitable year
- **2009** — Managed Amazon acquisition of Zappos for $1.2 billion
- **2010** — Joined Sequoia Capital as partner; began backing Airbnb
- **2013** — Named Forbes '30 Most Influential People in Tech'
- **2014** — Joined DoorDash board
- **2020** — Airbnb and DoorDash IPOs became two biggest of the year; Sequoia stakes exceeded $23B
- **2021** — Ranked #1 on Forbes Midas List; Invested in FTX (later wrote off as misled)
- **2024** — Backed Physical Intelligence robotics; involved in OpenAI growth rounds
- **2025** — Appointed Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital alongside Pat Grady, succeeding Roelof Botha; ranked #1 on Midas List again
- **2026** — Led Sequoia's $7 billion AI expansion fund raise - largest in firm history

## Achievements

- Three-time Forbes Midas List #1 ranked investor
- Managed Zappos through 9/11 crisis, 2008 financial crash, and sale to Amazon for $1.2 billion
- Led Zappos to its first profitable year in 2006
- Backed Airbnb and DoorDash - two of history's biggest IPOs in 2020, generating $23B+ in combined stakes
- Appointed Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital in November 2025, alongside Pat Grady
- Led Sequoia's $7 billion AI expansion fund raise in 2026
- Board member at Airbnb and DoorDash
- Named Forbes '30 Most Influential People in Tech' (2013)
- DoorDash board stake estimated at $5.5 billion as of late 2025
- Early investor in OpenAI, Physical Intelligence, Zipline, Faire, and 40+ companies

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Sequoia raised $7 billion expansion fund for AI under Lin and Pat Grady's leadership - the firm's largest fund ever
- **2025-11** — Alfred Lin appointed Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital alongside Pat Grady, succeeding Roelof Botha
- **2025-01** — Ranked #1 on Forbes Midas List for the third time
- **2024-10** — Sequoia backed Physical Intelligence's $400M robotics funding round
- **2024-01** — Continued involvement in OpenAI growth investments as part of Sequoia's AI strategy

## Links

- Website: https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/alfred-lin/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linalfred/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Alfred_Lin

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alfred-lin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05