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 a prominent American Internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He co-founded LinkedIn, serving as its executive chairman, and is currently chairman of Village Global, a venture capital firm. He also co-founded Inflection AI and Manas AI, and serves on the board of the Arc Institute. Hoffman's career is marked by his significant contributions to the technology and business sectors, particularly in professional networking and artificial intelligence.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1994: Joined Apple Computer

In 1994, Reid Hoffman joined Apple Computer and worked on eWorld.

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 his first company, SocialNet.com, focusing on online dating and matching people with similar interests.

January 2000: Left SocialNet, Joined PayPal

In January 2000, Reid Hoffman left SocialNet and joined PayPal full-time as the company's COO.

June 2000: Became Senior VP at PayPal

In June 2000, Reid Hoffman became PayPal's Senior VP of Business Development after a reorganization of PayPal's executive structure by then-CEO Elon Musk.

December 2002: Co-founded LinkedIn

In December 2002, Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn with former colleagues.

May 5, 2003: LinkedIn Launched

On May 5, 2003, LinkedIn 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 Zynga's board of directors.

2009: Joined Greylock Partners

In 2009, Reid Hoffman joined Greylock Partners.

2009: Named Partner at Greylock Partners

In 2009, Reid Hoffman was named a partner at Greylock Partners.

2009: Provided Venture Capital

Since 2009, Reid Hoffman has provided venture capital to dozens of businesses across industries, including consumer and transportation technology, finance, and artificial intelligence, investing in companies such as Airbnb and Aurora Innovation.

May 19, 2011: LinkedIn IPO

On May 19, 2011, at the time of LinkedIn's IPO, Reid Hoffman owned a stake worth an estimated $2.34 billion.

April 2013: Launch of FWD.us

In April 2013, FWD.us, a pro-immigration lobbying group, was launched with Reid Hoffman listed as one of the founders.

2013: Matching Grant to Code for America

In 2013, Reid Hoffman provided a $250,000 matching grant to Code for America.

June 2014: Served on Zynga's Board Until

Reid Hoffman served on Zynga's board of directors until June 2014.

2014: Political Donations in 2014

In 2014, Reid Hoffman donated $150,000 to the Mayday PAC and contributed $500,000 toward David Chiu's State Assembly campaign through an independent expenditure committee for negative campaigning.

2014: Led Greylock's Financing Round in Xapo

In 2014, Reid Hoffman, an early advocate for cryptocurrency, led Greylock's Series A financing round in Xapo, a company that developed a bitcoin wallet product.

June 13, 2016: Microsoft Proposed to Acquire LinkedIn

On June 13, 2016, Microsoft proposed to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash.

July 2016: Funding of MIT Disobedience Award

In July 2016, Reid Hoffman funded the $250,000 cash-prize MIT Media Lab MIT Disobedience Award, which he created with Joi Ito to recognize acts of disobedience resulting in positive social impact.

November 2016: Donation to Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

In November 2016, Reid Hoffman and his wife, Michelle Yee, donated $20 million to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for the Biohub project in San Francisco, and Hoffman joined the Biohub project's board.

2016: Donation to Matt Dunne's Campaign

In 2016, Reid Hoffman contributed $220,000 in support of Democratic candidate for Vermont governor Matt Dunne.

2016: Creation of Card Game

In 2016, Reid Hoffman created a card game modeled after Cards Against Humanity intended to poke fun at US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

2016: Donated to OpenAI

In 2016, Reid Hoffman was among the first donors to OpenAI, a non-profit artificial intelligence research organization.

March 14, 2017: Became Microsoft Board Member

On March 14, 2017, Reid Hoffman became a Microsoft board member.

April 25, 2017: Announced Launch of Masters of Scale Podcast

On April 25, 2017, Reid Hoffman announced the launch of a business and finance podcast called Masters of Scale.

May 3, 2017: First Episode of Masters of Scale Launched

On May 3, 2017, the first episode of Reid Hoffman's podcast, Masters of Scale, was launched.

May 2018: Joining The Giving Pledge

In May 2018, Reid Hoffman and Michelle Yee joined The Giving Pledge, a global effort encouraging wealthy individuals to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

2018: Funding of Alloy

In 2018, Reid Hoffman helped fund Alloy, a company created to legally exchange data with Democratic groups, supplying half of the $35 million to start it.

2018: Gift to University of Toronto

In 2018, Reid Hoffman made a gift to the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information to endow a chair "to study how the new era of artificial intelligence (AI) will affect our lives."

2020: Advocating for Voting Day as a Holiday

In 2020, Reid Hoffman penned a piece that argued for making Voting Day a holiday.

2021: Matching Donations to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

In 2021, Reid Hoffman offered to match donations to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley up to $2 million due to increased need during the pandemic.

2021: Publication on Voting Rights on LinkedIn

In 2021, Reid Hoffman published an article on LinkedIn entitled "Protecting Voting Rights: Good for America, Good for American Business," advocating for voting rights.

February 2022: Donation to Mainstream Democrats Super PAC

In February 2022, Reid Hoffman gave at least $500,000 to the Mainstream Democrats super PAC, which supported the campaigns of moderate Democrats Henry Cuellar and Kurt Schrader.

March 2022: Co-founded Inflection AI

In March 2022, Reid Hoffman co-founded Inflection AI with Mustafa Suleyman, aiming to develop AI software for easier human-computer communication.

October 2022: Appointment to Defense Innovation Board

In October 2022, Reid Hoffman joined the Defense Innovation Board, an advisory board for the United States Department of Defense.

2022: Invested in JusticeText

In 2022, Reid Hoffman invested $2.2 million in JusticeText, a platform designed to store, catalog, analyze, and share video evidence for public defenders to increase transparency in criminal matters.

March 3, 2023: Resigned from OpenAI Board

On March 3, 2023, Reid Hoffman resigned from his board seat at OpenAI to avoid conflicts of interest with investments in AI companies and his role as founder of Inflection 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: Invested in AI Companies

As of May 2023, Reid Hoffman and Greylock Partners had invested in at least 37 AI companies including Tome productivity software.

August 2023: Stepped Down as General Partner at Greylock

In August 2023, Reid Hoffman announced he would not serve as a general partner for Greylock's upcoming funds, but would continue to serve as a venture partner.

2023: Delivered Commencement Speech at Bologna Business School

In 2023, Reid Hoffman delivered the Commencement Speech at Bologna Business School, urging students to prepare for the transformative potential of AI.

March 2024: Microsoft Licensed Inflection AI Technology

In March 2024, Microsoft licensed Inflection AI's technology and hired key personnel in a deal reportedly worth $650 million, leading Inflection AI to shift its focus to enterprise AI solutions under new CEO Sean White.

April 2024: Interviewed with AI Deepfake of Himself

In April 2024, Reid Hoffman was interviewed by an AI deepfake of himself called ReidAI, discussing AI regulation and capabilities.

June 2024: Criticism of Democratic Donors and Endorsement of Kamala Harris

During the 2024 presidential election, after initially endorsing President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, Reid Hoffman criticized Democratic donors who froze their campaign donations following Biden's performance at the June 2024 debate against Donald Trump. Following Biden's withdrawal, Hoffman endorsed Kamala Harris and expressed his desire for a potential Harris administration to remove Lina Khan as Federal Trade Commission chair.

July 2024: Investment in Smartmatic

In July 2024, The Washington Post reported that Reid Hoffman invested millions in Smartmatic, an election technology company involved in defamation action against press outlets.

September 2024: UK Cleared Microsoft's Hiring of Inflection AI Staff

In September 2024, the UK Competition and Markets Authority cleared Microsoft's hiring of former staff from Inflection AI and the related arrangements between the companies.

2024: Delivered Keynote Lecture at International Journalism Festival

In 2024, Reid Hoffman delivered a keynote lecture at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.

2024: Equivalent Value of 2021 Donation Match

In 2024, the equivalent value of Hoffman's $2 million donation match to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in 2021 is $2,278,000.

2024: Equivalent Value of 2014 Donations Adjusted for Inflation

In 2024, the equivalent values of Hoffman's $150,000 donation to the Mayday PAC in 2014 is $195,200, and his $500,000 contribution toward David Chiu's State Assembly campaign in 2014 is $650,700.

2024: Value of 2013 and 2016 Contributions Adjusted for Inflation

In 2024, the equivalent values of Hoffman's $250,000 matching grant to Code for America in 2013 is $331,000, and his $250,000 cash-prize MIT Media Lab MIT Disobedience Award in 2016 is $319,300.

January 2025: Launched Manas AI

In January 2025, Reid Hoffman launched Manas AI, an AI-enabled drug discovery startup, with Siddhartha Mukherjee, securing about $25 million in initial funding.

January 28, 2025: Superagency Released

On January 28, 2025, Reid Hoffman released the book "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With our AI Future" with his co-author Greg Beato, offering a roadmap for integrating AI inclusively. He also used AI to personalize book covers.