LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman exits Microsoft board amid AI expansion
Synopsis
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is stepping down from Microsoft's board after nearly nine years to focus on AI drug discovery startup Manas. The departure comes as Microsoft continues expanding its artificial intelligence business, reporting record Azure revenue and strong fiscal 2025 results amid growing global investment in AI healthcare.
Reid Hoffman is to leave Microsoft's board of directors later this year, concluding a tenure that started a few years after the technology firm purchased LinkedIn in 2016. The co-founder of LinkedIn will not stand for re-election at Microsoft's annual shareholders meeting. Microsoft stated that Hoffman's departure is unrelated to any disagreement with the company's operations, policies or management.
Hoffman's move away from the Microsoft board is due to an increasing focus on Manas, the artificial intelligence powered drug discovery company he has co-founded. Hoffman stated that rapid progress at his new startup had prompted him to once again adopt a more hands-on founder's role and take a step back from his commitments to Microsoft.
Hoffman has been part of Microsoft's board since 2017, after its $26.2 billion takeover of LinkedIn. This deal was one of the largest technology deals to take place in the past decade, and LinkedIn is now a fundamental component of Microsoft's business software offering and continues to grow globally to over 1.3 billion members.
AI Healthcare sees continued global investment
The news of Reid Hoffman's Microsoft Board departure echoes the trend of continued investment in the Artificial Intelligence sector in general and in health & life sciences specifically.
Companies based in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Singapore, and Japan are continually increasing investment in AI-driven medical research, and this trend has accelerated with the growing need from pharmaceutical companies to speed up the process of finding new potential cures.
Manas is part of the growing sector, using AI models, together with scientific research to aid drug discovery, and Hoffman has been at the helm of several major AI projects over the last few years, most notablyco-founding Inflection AI and previously sitting on the board of OpenAI.
AI business goes from strength to strength at Microsoft
Reid Hoffman's Microsoft Board departure comes amidst extremely positive financial results from the technology company. Microsoft posted revenues of $281.7 billion in FY25, an increase of 15% on the year previous, whilst profits climbed 16% to $101.8 billion.
Microsoft also disclosed their Azure revenues had surpassed $75 billion in the last year, showing ongoing demand for cloud infrastructure and AI services. Microsoft continues to invest in its AI services across its business software range and in its cloud infrastructure; Hoffman's departure means leadership will transition for a figure that has been associated with the company for close to nine years.
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Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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