Reid Hoffman is leaving Microsoft’s board to go ‘founder mode’ with startup Manus

Reid Hoffman, the influential co-founder of LinkedIn, is departing from Microsoft's board after a successful tenure that spanned over a decade. His resignation was announced by Microsoft on Thursday, marking a significant shift in his career focus. Hoffman joined the Microsoft board following the tech giant's acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016. During his time on the board, he witnessed pivotal moments, including Microsoft's $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019. Known as one of the early investors in OpenAI, Hoffman stepped down from its board in 2023, citing potential conflicts of interest as the reason for his departure. Additionally, Hoffman was involved in a notable deal when Microsoft acquired his AI startup, Inflection AI, for $650 million, bringing in co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as part of the agreement. Recently, while speaking with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on his podcast “Possible,” Hoffman expressed his enthusiasm about returning to a more hands-on role as he dives into "founder mode" with his new AI venture, Manus. Manus, a company dedicated to drug discovery, successfully secured over $50 million in funding through several seed rounds last year. While Hoffman holds the title of co-founder and chairman of the board, the CEO position is held by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, a renowned physician and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Hoffman is eager to dedicate more time to Manus, noting, “We’re seeing such progress with Manus. I need to get back to founder mode.” He highlighted the startup’s advancements in “Move 37” AI, which aims to surpass human creativity in chemistry, particularly in the fight against various forms of cancer.