Reid Hoffman, a prominent figure on Microsoft’s board, is resigning after a successful tenure that began following the company's acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016. Notably, he was part of Microsoft’s board during pivotal moments, including its initial $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019.
Hoffman has been a significant player in the AI landscape, serving as one of OpenAI’s early investors until his recent departure in 2023 due to potential conflicts of interest. He also played a role during Microsoft’s $650 million acqui-hire deal for Inflection AI, where co-founder Mustafa Suleyman was recruited.
Transitioning to his new venture, Hoffman is focusing on Manus, a drug discovery startup that raised over $50 million in seed funding last year. He serves as the chairman of the board, while Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee holds the CEO position. Hoffman expressed enthusiasm for his role in Manus, emphasizing the startup's advancements in AI aimed at enhancing creativity in chemistry to tackle cancer.