REID HOFFMAN

"I was intensely interested in the questions of who we are as individuals in society, and who we should be. How do we think? How do we reason? How do we communicate? [...]

The thing I learned from philosophy was how to articulate theories crisply, which led to an ability to express crisp theories of human nature, which aligns with some of the most interesting things around, like consumer internet and entrepreneurship. Philosophy enabled all that in a much more robust way than an MBA."

- Reid Hoffman

PUSHING BOUNDARIES

Reid Hoffman is one of Silicon Valley's most successful investors, founders, and entrepreneurs. Formerly the COO of PayPal, and one of the co-founders of LinkedIn, Hoffman has become one of the tech sector's most sought-after angel investors.

Hoffman studied philosophy at Oxford University during his Marshall Scholarship (class of 1990). He cited his abiding interest in - and deep academic passion for - a better understanding of human nature; an understanding he has certainly leveraged to outstanding effect.

In 2017, Hoffman was appointed an Honorary Comander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), "for services to promoting UK business and social networking and the Marshall Scholarship scheme," of which he has been a great supporter.