Reid Hoffman’s Post

I'm excited to share my conversation with Reid Hoffman. Executive Vice President of PayPal, co-founder of LinkedIn, and legendary investor at Greylock are just a few of his official roles that have changed the world we live in. He’s mentored countless iconic founders and is an author and podcast host. Perhaps most importantly, he’s a crucial steward of AI, which was a major topic in our discussion, but far from the only one. Among other things, he told me about making the introduction between Sam Altman and Satya Nadella that led to the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership. Here are a few of my favorite parts of our conversation: 🔵 Work for the mission: There will always be a hierarchy. But working for a mission you truly believe in is what opens the door to try bold things, make real change, and get true meaning out of work beyond the paycheck. “Sometimes changing the world is a hamburger that costs less than a dollar or something that can get people fed and can fit in. It isn't just a job or a product; it fits within a community ecosystem.” 🔵 Culture should never be static: “It’s almost like by enshrining it, you kind of make it start decaying.” Culture has to be dynamic and always growing to accommodate change. To be effective over time, invest in making sure the culture reflects where the company needs to be in order to succeed in a changing world. 🔵 Humanism is a key component of business. There have always been practices that were legal but nonetheless immoral. By the same token, there have always been people who let ethics be their guide rather than the law. Business is fundamentally a human endeavor; maximizing profit at the expense of people is not. You can listen to or watch the episode here: - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gBprNmab - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gTQ8EwjR - Apple: https://lnkd.in/gSTkM3tH Lastly, a big thank you to the show's sponsors. Mercury DigitalOcean Neo4j

Today, I'm proud to unveil the #vcsforkamala pledge. As of this morning, 110 VCs representing ~$150 Billion in assets under management have signed. Over the past few weeks, like so many of you, I’ve watched countless venture capital power players announce their support of Donald Trump. Many of them are VCs I respect and admire. And I’m not so much surprised about seeing VCs express conservative viewpoints - some of which I share. But this particular election - there are much more existential issues at stake. And so last Tuesday I went online, bought a URL, reserved a social handle, and wrote a 3 paragraph pledge in support of Vice President Harris. On Thursday night, I sent it to a dozen or so friends who volunteered to help. By Friday morning, Mark Cuban and Reid Hoffman had signed. A dozen more joined in the hours that followed, big enough names that there was no turning back. As of right now, 110 VCs representing about $150 Billion in assets under management have signed the pledge. I believe there are at least a hundred more, just from our outreach, that would sign the pledge but are prevented from doing so by their firms’ internal policies. The names on this list are not just well known democrats - they are moderates and independents, too. Each person’s reasons for signing are their own, and they vary. What we share is a commitment to safeguarding American democracy, and a desire to engage with each other and with elected leaders on the best path forward on the issues that we care about. In the last five days I have asked myself, over and over, why I am doing this. There are so many VCs out there with far more power, money, and fame than me. So many that have far more to gain and far less to lose by taking a stand. Here’s my why. I’m doing this because I have kids. I’m doing this because they are girls. I’m doing this because to have economic prosperity, we need institutional stability. I’m doing this for the thousands of founders who are watching our industry aghast. And I’m doing this because Silicon Valley power players that have lost touch with the rest of us, don’t speak for all of us. I am in awe of what a small group of volunteers accomplished in the last 5 days. Thank you so much to all of you, those who need to remain anonymous, and to everyone who was brave enough (and able to) sign the pledge. Check out the full list of signatories, and sign the pledge, on www.vcsforkamala.org And join us. #vcsforkamala #vcsfordemocracy