Reid Hoffman

Thought of the day

Interests

Impact

$130bn+

Combined exit value

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200+

Countries operated in

Unicorns invested in

$16.5bn

Annual Operating Revenue

141

Early stage investments

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141

Early stage investments

$16.5bn

Annual Operating Revenue

Unicorns invested in

Companies exited

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$1bn+

Philanthropic initiatives

Life Story

Born in California

Reid was born on 5 August, 1967 in Palo Alto, California. His parents, Deanna Rutter and William Hoffman Jr., were both liberal lawyers and conversations about ethics and how society should be run were common in his home.

Born in California

1967

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World Map

Q&A

What do you mean when you advise leaders to embrace the chaos?

You have to have a high willingness to make and survive mistakes, learn from them quickly, change your mind, and have an infinite learning curve. We do not suggest embracing all chao...

How do you AI-proof yourself?

I don’t think it is AI-proofing yourself; it is AI-amplifying yourself. The important thing is to be engaging with AI and learning the tools.

The Guardian, 1st January 2025

Can anyone be an entrepreneur?

In short, no. Just like not everyone should be a musician. You have to look at what your competitive advantages are – does your disposition and skill set give you a competitive edge?...

How do you see philanthropy fitting in with your political donations and investments?

To me, the politics thing is part of the same. If I have a macro goal, it’s “how do we elevate the human condition?” And scale [of] impact is number of people and depth of impact ove...

How should boards respond to a crisis?

"If you walk into a board meeting and there's a crisis, and you're not presented with... 'here's the crisis, we're doing a briefing for what the crisis is and kind of what our prelim...

Some people focus on product and think hiring isn't that important. What do you say to that?

You're not spending a third of your time hiring, you're very much under delivering. Companies are team sports, right? If you could just do it yourself, you wouldn't hire anyone.

Diary of a CEO podcast, 1st January 2024

Testimonials

Sarah Imbach

Co-founder - braincandy

Reid is simply the most brilliant opportunity creator I've ever worked with. Without his presence on the executive team, PayPal would likely have ended up on the dot com morgue list instead of the most successful internet IPO of 2002.

Gary Rivlin

Author - AI Valley

Yet despite a net worth in the billions, Hoffman is cut differently than most who inhabit that economic stratum. Another serial entrepreneur, Joseph Ansanelli, who joined Greylock several years after Hoffman, was struck by the modesty of the by-then-Silicon-Valley famous Reid Hoffman. Hoffman did...

Mike Maples Jnr

Co-founding Partner - Floodgate

One of the finest people I’ve ever known in business or any field. An exemplar of Silicon Valley at its best. Many know Reid for his success and talent, but he is an equally great person. A rare example of someone who can engage in a discussion and set his ego and self-interest completely aside. ...