LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman announced today that he’s joined the board of directors at Microsoft.
This follows Microsoft’s $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn last year. When the deal closed, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner said the company’s day-to-day operations would “essentially remain unchanged,” but he also noted a number of areas (like integrating LinkedIn into Microsoft Outlook and Office products) where the two organizations would work together.
In a LinkedIn post, Hoffman said his primary job is still as a partner at Greylock, but he’s “maintained an office next to Jeff Weiner’s at LinkedIn for the last nine years” — so he’s remained very involved. (Officially, he was chairman of the LinkedIn board.)
As a Microsoft board member, Hoffman said his focus will remain on LinkedIn itself, while also working to help Microsoft build more connections in Silicon Valley.
“And following the combination with Microsoft, LinkedIn now has new resources and technology assets to deploy as it moves forward,” he wrote. “Imagine a Cortana-like intelligent assistant helping you determine which third-degree connections make the most sense for you to pursue. Or LinkedIn Learning courseware that incorporates Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality technology for more immersive learning experiences.”
Microsoft also named LinkedIn’s Kevin Scott as its chief technology officer earlier this year.