Career Timeline of Reid Hoffman: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Reid Hoffman built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Reid Hoffman is an American internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and author best known as the co-founder and former executive chairman of LinkedIn. He is also the chairman of Village Global, a venture capital firm, and a co-founder of Inflection AI and Manas AI. His career highlights his significant contributions to professional networking and advancements in artificial intelligence.
1994: Joined Apple Computer
In 1994, Reid Hoffman joined Apple Computer and worked on eWorld, an early online service.
1996: AOL Acquired eWorld
In 1996, AOL acquired eWorld, where Reid Hoffman was working at Apple Computer.
1997: Co-founded SocialNet.com
In 1997, Reid Hoffman co-founded SocialNet.com, his first company, which focused on online dating and matching people with similar interests.
January 2000: Joined PayPal Full-Time as COO
In January 2000, Reid Hoffman left SocialNet and joined PayPal full-time as the company's COO.
June 2000: Became PayPal's Senior VP of Business Development
In June 2000, Reid Hoffman became PayPal's Senior VP of Business Development after a re-organization of PayPal's executive structure.
December 2002: Co-founded LinkedIn
In December 2002, Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn with former colleagues, marking a significant milestone in his career.
May 5, 2003: LinkedIn Launched
On May 5, 2003, LinkedIn was launched as one of the first business-oriented online social networks.
March 2008: Joined Zynga's Board of Directors
In March 2008, Reid Hoffman joined the board of directors at Zynga.
2009: Joined Greylock Partners
In 2009, Reid Hoffman joined Greylock Partners, becoming a prominent figure in venture capital after his time at PayPal.
2009: Named Partner at Greylock Partners
In 2009, Reid Hoffman was named a partner at Greylock Partners, a venture capital firm.
2009: Provided Venture Capital to Businesses
Since 2009, Reid Hoffman has provided venture capital through Greylock to dozens of businesses across industries like consumer tech, finance, and AI, including Airbnb and Helion Energy.
May 19, 2011: LinkedIn's IPO
On May 19, 2011, at the time of LinkedIn's IPO, Reid Hoffman owned a stake worth an estimated $2.34 billion.
February 14, 2012: Release of "The Start-Up of You"
On February 14, 2012, Reid Hoffman's book, "The Start-Up of You," was released in the United States, advocating that individuals see themselves as the 'CEO of their own career'.
April 2013: Launched FWD.us
In April 2013, Hoffman was listed as one of the founders of a pro-immigration lobbying group called FWD.us.
2013: Provided Matching Grant to Code for America
In 2013, Hoffman provided a $250,000 matching grant to Code for America.
June 2014: Stepped Down from Zynga's Board of Directors
In June 2014, Reid Hoffman stepped down from Zynga's board of directors.
July 8, 2014: Release of "The Alliance"
On July 8, 2014, Reid Hoffman's book "The Alliance" was released, suggesting employers and employees should see each other as 'allies'.
2014: Donated to Mayday PAC and Funded Campaign
In 2014, Hoffman donated $150,000 to the Mayday PAC. Also in 2014, Hoffman contributed $500,000 toward David Chiu's State Assembly campaign.
2014: Led Greylock's Financing Round in Xapo
In 2014, Reid Hoffman led Greylock's Series A financing round in Xapo, a company developing a bitcoin wallet product, demonstrating his early advocacy for cryptocurrency.
2014: "The Alliance" Book Recognition
In 2014, Reid Hoffman's book "The Alliance" became a New York Times bestseller and was praised as a must-read.
July 2016: Funded MIT Disobedience Award
In July 2016, Hoffman funded the $250,000 cash-prize MIT Media Lab MIT Disobedience Award, which was created by Hoffman and Joi Ito to honor acts of disobedience with positive social impact.
November 2016: Donated to Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
In November 2016, Hoffman and his wife, Michelle Yee, donated $20 million to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, dedicated to eradicating disease by 2100. The donation was for the Initiative's San Francisco laboratory, Biohub, and Hoffman also joined the board of the Biohub project.
2016: Supported Matt Dunne's Campaign
In 2016, Hoffman contributed $220,000 in support of Democratic candidate for Vermont governor Matt Dunne.
2016: Early Donor to OpenAI
In 2016, Reid Hoffman was among the first donors to OpenAI, a non-profit artificial intelligence research organization.
March 14, 2017: Joined Microsoft Board of Directors
On March 14, 2017, Reid Hoffman became a member of the Microsoft board of directors.
April 25, 2017: Announced Launch of Masters of Scale Podcast
On April 25, 2017, Reid Hoffman announced the launch of his business and finance podcast, Masters of Scale.
May 3, 2017: First Episode of Masters of Scale Podcast
On May 3, 2017, the first episode of Reid Hoffman's podcast, Masters of Scale, was launched.
May 2018: Joined the Giving Pledge
In May 2018, Hoffman and Yee joined the Giving Pledge, a global effort encouraging wealthy individuals and families to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
October 9, 2018: Release of "Blitzscaling"
On October 9, 2018, Reid Hoffman's book "Blitzscaling" was released, advocating techniques for scaling companies at a rapid pace.
2018: Funded Alloy
In 2018, Hoffman helped fund Alloy, a company founded to legally exchange data with affiliated Democratic groups like super PACs, supplying half of the $35 million to start it.
2018: Gift to University of Toronto's Faculty of Information
In 2018, Hoffman made a gift to the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information to endow a chair to study the effects of AI on our lives.
2020: Argued for Making Voting Day a Holiday
In 2020, Hoffman penned a piece that argued for making Voting Day a holiday.
2021: Matched Donations to Second Harvest
In 2021, Hoffman offered to match donations to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley up to $2 million in response to increased need due to the pandemic.
February 2022: Gave to Mainstream Democrats super PAC
In February 2022, Hoffman gave at least $500,000 to the Mainstream Democrats super PAC.
March 2022: Co-founded Inflection AI
In March 2022, it was announced that Reid Hoffman was co-founding a new startup, Inflection AI, with Mustafa Suleyman.
2022: Invested in JusticeText
In late 2022, Reid Hoffman invested in JusticeText, a platform aimed at increasing transparency around criminal matters.
March 3, 2023: Resigned from OpenAI Board Seat
On March 3, 2023, Reid Hoffman resigned from his board seat at OpenAI to avoid conflicts of interest.
March 13, 2023: Release of "Impromptu"
On March 13, 2023, Reid Hoffman released the book "Impromptu", written using GPT-4, exploring the amplification of humanity through AI.
March 2023: Launched "Possible" Podcast
In March 2023, Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger began hosting a podcast called "Possible", which explores the brightest version of the future.
May 2023: Investments in AI Companies
As of May 2023, Reid Hoffman and Greylock Partners had invested in at least 37 AI companies, including Tome.
August 2023: Stepping Down as General Partner at Greylock
In August 2023, Reid Hoffman announced that he would not serve as a general partner for Greylock's upcoming funds, but would continue as a venture partner.
2023: Commencement Speech at Bologna Business School
In 2023, Reid Hoffman delivered the Commencement Speech at Bologna Business School, discussing the impact of AI.
March 2024: Microsoft Licensed Inflection AI's Technology
In March 2024, Microsoft licensed Inflection AI’s technology and hired Mustafa Suleyman and most of the company’s employees.
2024: Keynote Lecture at International Journalism Festival
In 2024, Reid Hoffman delivered a keynote lecture at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, focusing on balancing progress and responsibility with technology.
2024: Interview with AI Deepfake
In April of 2024, Reid Hoffman was interviewed by an AI deepfake of himself, discussing AI regulation and his LinkedIn profile.
January 2025: Launched Manas AI
In January 2025, Reid Hoffman launched Manas AI, an AI-enabled drug discovery startup, with Siddhartha Mukherjee.
January 28, 2025: Release of "Superagency"
On January 28, 2025, Reid Hoffman released the book "Superagency" with Greg Beato, offering a roadmap for integrating AI to improve lives.
February 2025: Appointed Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE
In February 2025, Reid Hoffman was appointed a Visiting Senior Fellow at the LSE School of Public Policy, following a lecture on AI.
