Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant launched LinkedIn in 2003.
The professional networking service was designed to help users maintain business contacts, display work histories, and discover professional opportunities. Its founders combined experience in entrepreneurship, engineering, product development, and online services.
LinkedIn officially launched on May 5, 2003. Unlike social networks focused primarily on personal updates or entertainment, it centered on professional identity and connections. The service later added recruiting tools, job listings, publishing features, learning content, and premium subscriptions.
A common mix-up is identifying Hoffman as the sole founder. He was the best-known founding figure and became the company’s founding chief executive, but LinkedIn lists four additional co-founders. Another nearby fact is that Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016, years after the platform had established itself as a major professional network.