When accessing the “About” tab on LinkedIn, you only find the citation of Reid Hoffman as founder of the site. It’s not wrong, but the former PayPal employee didn’t create the platform alone and enlisted the help of Allen Blue, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Eric Ly and Konstantin Guericke.
Who are the founders of LinkedIn?
It all happened in December 2002, in Hoffman’s living room. After that encounter, LinkedIn went live on May 5, 2003—before even more popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter became a reality.
Hoffman brought together former colleagues and veterans at major tech companies to manage the platform. So, the founders of LinkedIn are:
- Allen Blue: Former Product Director at SocialNet, the first social network created by Reid Hoffman. Blue remains in the role of Vice President of Product Management to this day;
- Jean-Luc Vaillant: Executive who was a director of Logitech. He is currently LinkedIn’s global sales leader;
- Eric Ly: Previously worked with Hoffman at several technology companies and was one of the brains behind the creation of LinkedIn. Ly left the company in 2006 to focus on his own business;
- Konstantin Guericke: former head of marketing and specialist in business building. The entrepreneur also left the platform in 2006 to run his own ventures;
- Reid Hoffman: the main mind behind LinkedIn, the entrepreneur also worked at Apple, Fujitsu and PayPal, in addition to creating the SocialNet platform.
LinkedIn History
Initially, LinkedIn had around 350 participants invited by the founders themselves. At the end of May, the social network already had more than 4,000 subscribers, including several users from outside the United States. In 2004, the platform had more than 1 million members.
Jumping to 2007, Dan Nye, as executive director, and Jeff Weiner, as CEO, enter the scene. The entry of both was marked by the addition of new features on the platform, such as the option to insert a profile photo and participate in conversations according to the user’s interest.
In 2012, the site gained a new layout. It was simpler and excelled in functionality, being closer to the outfit we know today. Since these important changes, LinkedIn has not stopped growing and has managed to consolidate itself as the largest social network aimed at professionals.
In 2016, Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26 billion, making it one of the biggest acquisitions by the company founded by Bill Gates.
Who is Reid Hoffman?
The biggest name behind the platform was an important entrepreneur who helped in the growth of several Big Techs, such as Apple and Fujitsu. Hoffman was also present at the creation of PayPal, where he was vice president until the company’s sale in 2002 to eBay. In 1997, he created his first social network, SocialNet, with a focus on friendships. Unsuccessful, the social network was shut down in 2000.
Accumulating experience in the area, Hoffman realized the need to continue investing in platforms aimed at relationships, as the number of new internet fans kept growing and the area proved to be increasingly fertile for unprecedented businesses. It was from this that the conception of LinkedIn gained strength and the social network got off the ground.
Hoffman remained CEO of LinkedIn until 2007, when he stepped down and became president of the site, also becoming an advisor focused on business expansion.
After the sale to Microsoft, Hoffman became a board member of the Redmond giant in 2017 and remains influential in the technology and business worlds, investing in several startups and serving as an advisor to many successful companies, including LinkedIn itself — where is still active.
