History of Reid Hoffman in Timeline
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.
August 5, 1967: Reid Hoffman Born
On August 5, 1967, Reid Garrett Hoffman, an American Internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and author, was born.
1990: Graduated from Stanford University
In 1990, Reid Hoffman graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science in symbolic systems and cognitive science.
1993: Earned Master's Degree from Oxford
In 1993, Reid Hoffman earned a Master of Studies (MSt) in philosophy from Wolfson College, Oxford, after receiving a Marshall Scholarship for graduate study abroad.
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.
2011: Joined Bilderberg Group
In 2011, Reid Hoffman became a member of the Bilderberg Group, marking his entry into influential political circles.
February 14, 2012: The Start-Up of You Released
On February 14, 2012, "The Start-Up of You" was released in the United States. The book argues that individuals should think of themselves as businesses-of-one and the "CEO of their own career".
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.
July 2013: Meeting with Jeffrey Epstein at MIT
In July 2013, Jeffrey Epstein met with Reid Hoffman and others at the MIT campus after Hoffman helped solicit donations to the MIT Media Lab from Epstein.
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.
July 8, 2014: The Alliance Released
On July 8, 2014, "The Alliance" was released in the United States. The book proposes that employers and employees should think of each other as "allies" in a business world defined by continuous change.
2014: Email sent on Christmas Eve
In 2014 Reid Hoffman sent an email, noting "ice-cream...for the girls" and another item to "strike your funny bone for the island." The email came to light in February 2026 after the release of new Epstein files.
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: Visit to Epstein's Island
In 2014, Reid Hoffman visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island for a weekend, claiming the purpose was to raise funds for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2014: The Alliance Became New York Times Bestseller
In 2014, Reid Hoffman's book "The Alliance" became a New York Times bestseller, with Arianna Huffington calling it "the must-read book of the summer".
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.
2015: Joined Council on Foreign Relations
In 2015, Reid Hoffman became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, further solidifying his role in political and international affairs.
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.
October 9, 2018: Blitzscaling Released
On October 9, 2018, Reid Hoffman's book "Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies" co-authored with Chris Yeh was released in the United States.
December 2018: Allegations of Political Disinformation Tactics
In December 2018, The New York Times reported that Reid Hoffman had put $100,000 into a project known as Project Birmingham, which allegedly used Russia-inspired political disinformation tactics on Facebook during the 2017 special Senate race in Alabama.
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."
2019: Dinner Hosted by Hoffman Attended by Epstein, Musk, and Zuckerberg
In 2019, it was reported that Reid Hoffman hosted a dinner attended by Jeffrey Epstein along with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
2020: Advocating for Voting Day as a Holiday
In 2020, Reid Hoffman penned a piece that argued for making Voting Day a holiday.
2021: Closure of Alloy
In 2021, Alloy, a company funded by Reid Hoffman to legally exchange data with Democratic groups, shut down.
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.
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 13, 2023: Impromptu Released
On March 13, 2023, Reid Hoffman released the book "Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI", which he claims to have written using the large language model GPT-4.
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 9, 2023: Trump Found Liable in Carroll Defamation Case
On May 9, 2023, a jury found Donald Trump liable in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. Reid Hoffman helped fund Carroll's lawsuit.
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.
September 2023: Report of Hoffman Visiting Epstein's Island
In September 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Reid Hoffman visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island for a weekend in 2014, which Hoffman claimed was to raise funds for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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: Possible Podcast Won Webby Awards
In 2024, the Reid Hoffman's "Possible" podcast won two Webby Awards for the episode featuring Trevor Noah for best Individual Episode and for the episode featuring Bryan Stevenson for best Crime and Justice episode.
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.
February 2025: Appointed Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE
In February 2025, Reid Hoffman delivered a lecture at the LSE School of Public Policy and was appointed a Visiting Senior Fellow at the school.
May 2025: Received Honorary Doctorate from Chiba Institute of Technology
In May 2025, Reid Hoffman received an honorary doctorate from Chiba Institute of Technology for his contributions to society, along with Laurene Powell Jobs and Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
October 2025: Hoffman's Name Mentioned in Senate Hearing on Epstein
In October 2025, Reid Hoffman's name came up in a Senate hearing on Jeffrey Epstein while questioning attorney general Pam Bondi. Bondi referred to Hoffman as one of Epstein's closest confidants.
November 14, 2025: Trump directs DOJ to investigate Epstein's relationship with Hoffman
On November 14, 2025, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with, among others, Reid Hoffman. Hoffman then called on President Trump to release all of the Epstein Files. Hoffman also funded a PSA created by World Without Exploitation featuring several of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims advocating for the release of files related to the convicted sex offender to run nationally on Monday Night Football.
2025: Net Worth Estimated by Forbes
As of 2025, Forbes estimated Reid Hoffman's net worth to be $2.6 billion.
2025: Possible Podcast Won Webby Award
In 2025, the Kara Swisher episode of the Reid Hoffman's podcast "Possible" won best Individual Episode at the Webby Awards.
February 2026: Release of Epstein Files Containing Hoffman's Email
In February 2026, newly released Epstein files revealed an email sent on Christmas Eve 2014 from Reid Hoffman, noting "ice-cream...for the girls" and another item to "strike your funny bone for the island."
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