# LinkedIn: Reid Hoffman

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2018-01-15
- Length: 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman

## Summary

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, recounts his journey from early internet ventures like SocialNet and a stint at PayPal to building the professional network that Microsoft acquired for $26 billion. He details the strategic pivot from a dating-focused platform to a real-name professional identity network, the challenges of raising venture capital, and his role as COO during PayPal's intense competition with eBay. The episode also covers his philosophy on entrepreneurship, the importance of luck and hard work, and his transition to angel investing and board roles at companies like Airbnb and Microsoft.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=0) Introduction: Reid Hoffman and LinkedIn
- [3:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=204) Early Life, Stanford, and SocialNet
- [22:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=1350) The PayPal Years and eBay Competition
- [27:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=1669) Founding LinkedIn and the Professional Network Thesis
- [31:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=1899) Scaling LinkedIn, Investing, and Exit to Microsoft
- [38:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman#t=2283) Postscript: Danica Lause and Peekaboo Ponytail Hats

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- LinkedIn (product)
- Microsoft (company)
- PayPal (company)
- eBay (company)
- SocialNet (product)
- Greylock (company)
- Airbnb (company)
- Peekaboo Ponytail Hats (product)
- Masters of Scale (product)

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- [The Reluctant Entrepreneur: Mike Konrad's Journey Through Entrepreneurship, Networking and SMTA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2025-03-14-the-reluctant-entrepreneur-mike-konrads-journey-through-entrepreneurship-network) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [057 - Conferences, Expos, LinkedIn and Launching a Podcast with Rizwan Chaudhrey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-11-02-057-conferences-expos-linkedin-and-launching-a-podcast-with-rizwan-chaudhrey) (Let's Combinate)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Founder-Investor Fit, and Building the Next Big Breakfast Brand with Emily Groden of Evergreen and Brian Bernstein of Rich Products Ventures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-20-founder-funder-fundraising-founder-investor-fit-and-building-the-next-big-breakf) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [S7E18 Aaron Moncur | Building Pipeline, the Being An Engineer Podcast, and Engineering Communities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-04-24-s7e18-aaron-moncur-building-pipeline-the-being-an-engineer-podcast-and-engineeri) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-01-15-linkedin-reid-hoffman. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.