# Reid Hoffman

> Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn, helped build PayPal, seeded Facebook, and has been quietly central to almost every major tech breakout of the last 25 years. A philosopher-turned-venture-capitalist who popularized 'blitzscaling,' he is now betting big on AI — co-founding Inflection AI, launching Manas AI for drug discovery, hosting two podcasts, and writing bestsellers with GPT-4 as co-author.

- **Role:** Partner at Greylock Partners
- **Organizations:** Greylock Partners, LinkedIn (co-founder), Inflection AI (co-founder), Manas AI (co-founder), Village Global (co-founder), Microsoft (board), Masters of Scale (host)
- **From:** Palo Alto, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Symbolic Systems & Cognitive Science, Stanford University, Master of Studies in Philosophy, Wolfson College, Oxford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded LinkedIn, sold to Microsoft for $26.2 billion (2016), Member of 'PayPal Mafia' — founding team of PayPal, Arranged and participated in Peter Thiel's $500K investment in Facebook (2004)

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Graduated Stanford with B.S. in Symbolic Systems; won Dinkelspiel Award
- **1993** — Completed MSt Philosophy at Oxford on Marshall Scholarship
- **1994** — Joined Apple Computer to work on eWorld, an early social network
- **1996** — Product management role at Fujitsu
- **1997** — Co-founded SocialNet.com, one of the first online dating/social platforms
- **2000** — Joined PayPal as COO, then SVP of Business Development; became part of 'PayPal Mafia'
- **2002** — Co-founded LinkedIn in his living room in December
- **2003** — LinkedIn officially launched to the public
- **2004** — Arranged Peter Thiel's $500K angel investment in Facebook; invested himself
- **2007** — Stepped back as LinkedIn CEO; became Executive Chairman
- **2009** — Joined Greylock Partners as venture partner
- **2011** — LinkedIn IPO; stake worth ~$2.34 billion
- **2012** — Ranked #3 on Forbes Midas List; published The Start-Up of You
- **2013** — Co-founded FWD.us immigration reform group
- **2014** — Named Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by Obama
- **2016** — Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion
- **2017** — Joined Microsoft Board; launched Masters of Scale podcast; received honorary CBE
- **2018** — Published Blitzscaling; signed the Giving Pledge; co-founded Village Global
- **2022** — Co-founded Inflection AI with Mustafa Suleyman
- **2023** — Published Impromptu (co-written with GPT-4); launched Possible podcast
- **2024** — Created 'ReidAI' deepfake AI version of himself for self-reflection experiments
- **2025** — Co-founded Manas AI (cancer drug discovery, $24.6M seed); published Superagency (NYT bestseller); appointed Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE

## Achievements

- Co-founded LinkedIn, sold to Microsoft for $26.2 billion (2016)
- Member of 'PayPal Mafia' — founding team of PayPal
- Arranged and participated in Peter Thiel's $500K investment in Facebook (2004)
- Led Airbnb's Series A financing
- Angel investor in Facebook, Airbnb, Zynga, Flickr, Aurora Innovation, Helion Energy
- Popularized 'blitzscaling' growth strategy
- 6 bestselling books (NYT/WSJ bestsellers)
- Forbes Midas List #3 tech investor (2012)
- Honorary CBE from Queen Elizabeth II (2017)
- Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (Obama, 2014)
- American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award (2014)
- Masters of Scale podcast — multiple Webby Awards
- Co-founded Inflection AI and Manas AI
- Signed the Giving Pledge; donated $20M to Chan Zuckerberg Biohub

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Co-founded Manas AI with oncologist Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee; raised $24.6M seed round for AI-driven cancer drug discovery
- **2025-01** — Published Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future — immediate NYT bestseller
- **2025-02** — Appointed Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics
- **2025-03** — Named Distinguished Academic Visitor at Queens' College Cambridge
- **2025-12** — Made five AI predictions for 2026, including AI agents expanding beyond coding into all knowledge work

## Links

- Website: https://www.reidhoffman.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/reidhoffman
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reidhoffman/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/reid-hoffman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28