Date of Birth | Nationality | Residence | Education | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 5, 1967 | American | Palo Alto, California | Stanford University | Entrepreneur, Investor, Author |
Reid Hoffman is an American entrepreneur, investor, and author. He is best known as the co-founder of LinkedIn, a professional networking website. He is also the co-founder of the venture capital firm Greylock Partners, and the co-founder of the social media platform, PayPal.
Hoffman was born in Palo Alto, California, and attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Symbolic Systems and a Master's degree in Philosophy. After graduating, he worked at Apple Computer and Fujitsu before joining the founding team of SocialNet.com, a social network for connecting people online.
In 2002, Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn with fellow entrepreneurs Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant. The company quickly grew to become the world's largest professional networking website, with more than 500 million members in over 200 countries.
Hoffman has also been an active investor in a number of technology companies, including Airbnb, Zynga, and Facebook. He is also the author of the book, The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.
Reid Hoffman was born on August 5, 1967 in Palo Alto, California. He attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Symbolic Systems and a Master's degree in Philosophy. After graduating, he worked at Apple Computer and Fujitsu before joining the founding team of SocialNet.com, a social network for connecting people online.
In 2002, Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn with fellow entrepreneurs Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant. The company quickly grew to become the world's largest professional networking website, with more than 500 million members in over 200 countries.
Hoffman has also been an active investor in a number of technology companies, including Airbnb, Zynga, and Facebook. He is also the author of the book, The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.
Hoffman has been a mentor to many successful entrepreneurs, including Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. He has also been a close friend of Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal.
Hoffman is known for his inspirational quotes, such as:
"If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late."
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
"The best entrepreneurs know this: every great business is built around a secret that’s hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world; when you share your secret, the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator."
Hoffman has been criticized for his involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the company harvested the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent.
Hoffman is an avid chess player and has competed in tournaments around the world.
Hoffman is a board member of the Kiva Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. He is also a board member of the X Prize Foundation, which awards prizes for technological breakthroughs.