Ryan Roslansky

Ryan Roslansky
Born	Ryan Roslansky 4 12, 1977
Birthplace	South Lake Tahoe, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	CEO of LinkedIn; Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
Known for	CEO of LinkedIn since 2020
Education	University of California, Davis (attended)
Children	3
Awards	Forbes CEO Next list (2021)

Ryan Roslansky (born December 4, 1977) is an American business executive who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of LinkedIn, the professional networking platform, since June 2020. Born in South Lake Tahoe, California, Roslansky joined LinkedIn in 2009 and rose through the company's ranks over more than a decade, playing a central role in shaping the platform's content, media, and learning strategies. He was instrumental in LinkedIn's acquisition of Lynda.com for $1.5 billion in 2015, which at the time represented the largest acquisition in the company's history. Roslansky succeeded Jeff Weiner as CEO after Weiner transitioned to the role of executive chairman. In June 2025, Microsoft, LinkedIn's parent company, expanded Roslansky's responsibilities to include oversight of its Office productivity software division, making him one of the most prominent executives in the technology industry.

Early Life

Ryan Roslansky was born on December 4, 1977, in South Lake Tahoe, California, a small resort city situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. He grew up in the Lake Tahoe area, a region known for its outdoor recreation and tourism industry rather than its proximity to the technology centers of Silicon Valley.

Roslansky attended the University of California, Davis, though he did not complete his degree, ultimately dropping out before graduation. Despite not finishing his formal education, Roslansky entered the technology and digital media industries in the late 1990s, beginning a career that would span more than two decades across multiple companies before he ultimately ascended to the leadership of one of the world's largest professional networking platforms. His career trajectory, beginning without a completed college degree, would later inform his perspectives on workforce development, skills-based hiring, and the evolving relationship between formal education and professional success — themes he would frequently address as CEO of LinkedIn.

Education

Roslansky enrolled at the University of California, Davis, one of the campuses of the University of California system, but he left the university before completing his degree. His decision to leave college and enter the workforce directly placed him among a cohort of prominent technology executives who built their careers without completing traditional four-year degrees. Roslansky has been active in his career years since 1997, indicating that he entered the professional world in his late teens or early twenties.

Career

Early Career and Pre-LinkedIn Work

Roslansky began his professional career in 1997, during the early years of the commercial internet era. Before joining LinkedIn, he accumulated experience in the digital media and online content industries. His pre-LinkedIn career included work in online media and advertising, which provided him with a foundation in digital product development and content strategy that would prove relevant to his later roles at the professional networking platform.

Joining LinkedIn and Rising Through the Ranks

Roslansky joined LinkedIn in 2009, roughly six years after the platform's founding and several years before its acquisition by Microsoft. At LinkedIn, Roslansky took on responsibilities related to the platform's content and media strategy. He was involved in the development of LinkedIn's editorial and content initiatives, including the company's efforts to transform its platform from a static professional networking tool into a dynamic content destination.

Among the initiatives Roslansky helped shape was the LinkedIn Influencers program, which invited prominent business leaders, executives, and public figures to publish long-form content directly on the platform. This program was part of a broader strategy to increase user engagement and position LinkedIn as a source of professional content and industry insights, not merely a repository for resumes and job listings.

Roslansky also played a role in the expansion and rebranding of LinkedIn's editorial operations, which eventually became known as LinkedIn News — an initiative that expanded the platform's presence in the professional media landscape.

Lynda.com Acquisition and LinkedIn Learning

One of the defining moments of Roslansky's tenure at LinkedIn prior to becoming CEO was his involvement in the company's $1.5 billion acquisition of Lynda.com in 2015. At the time, it was the largest acquisition in LinkedIn's history. Lynda.com was a leading online education platform offering video courses on software, technology, creative skills, and business topics. The acquisition formed the basis of what would become LinkedIn Learning, integrating professional development and online education directly into the LinkedIn platform.

Following the acquisition, Roslansky was named head of consumer product at LinkedIn, where he oversaw the integration of Lynda.com's educational content into the broader LinkedIn ecosystem. In this role, he articulated a vision for transforming how professionals learn and develop skills, connecting the platform's networking capabilities with its new educational offerings. The integration of LinkedIn Learning became a significant revenue stream for the company and positioned the platform as a competitor in the growing online education market.

Appointment as CEO

On February 5, 2020, LinkedIn announced that Roslansky would succeed Jeff Weiner as CEO of the company, effective June 1, 2020. Weiner, who had led LinkedIn since 2009 and guided it through its initial public offering and subsequent acquisition by Microsoft in 2016, transitioned to the role of executive chairman.

Roslansky assumed the CEO role at a particularly consequential moment. The COVID-19 pandemic had begun to reshape the global economy, causing unprecedented disruptions to labor markets worldwide. Within weeks of taking on the position, Roslansky was confronted with challenges including mass layoffs across industries, a sudden shift to remote work, and heightened demand for digital upskilling.

COVID-19 Response and Workforce Initiatives

In his first months as CEO, Roslansky oversaw LinkedIn's participation in a major workforce development initiative announced by Microsoft in June 2020. The program pledged to help 25 million workers worldwide acquire digital skills needed for the post-pandemic economy, leveraging LinkedIn's data on labor market trends and its LinkedIn Learning platform to provide free access to courses aligned with in-demand jobs.

The initiative drew on LinkedIn's extensive data about hiring trends and skills gaps to identify pathways for displaced workers. Under Roslansky's leadership, LinkedIn published data-driven insights about the changing nature of work during the pandemic, including analyses of which industries were hiring, which skills were most in demand, and how remote work was transforming employment patterns.

Roslansky also addressed the topic of climate change and its intersection with job creation during this period. In a 2021 opinion piece published in The Boston Globe, he discussed how addressing climate change could be linked to the creation of new employment opportunities, drawing on LinkedIn's workforce data to illustrate the growth of green jobs and sustainability-related skills.

Leadership of LinkedIn's Growth

Under Roslansky's leadership, LinkedIn has continued to grow significantly. By 2025, the platform had reached 1.2 billion users globally. Roslansky has overseen the platform's continued evolution, expanding its features beyond traditional professional networking to encompass content creation, video, newsletters, and an increasingly robust news and editorial operation.

In 2023, Roslansky launched a web series called The Path, in which he interviewed prominent leaders about their career journeys and the lessons they had learned along the way. The series reflected Roslansky's interest in storytelling and professional development content, and it served to further position LinkedIn as a media platform rather than solely a networking tool.

Roslansky has been a prominent voice in discussions about the changing nature of work, skills-based hiring, and the role of artificial intelligence in the labor market. In an interview with Time magazine, he discussed his vision for LinkedIn and the broader workforce landscape.

AI Strategy and Advocacy

As artificial intelligence technologies advanced rapidly beginning in 2023, Roslansky became one of the most prominent corporate voices advocating for AI literacy and integration into the workplace. In interviews and public appearances, he has consistently emphasized the importance of workers developing AI-related skills and the need for organizations to adapt to AI-driven changes in the labor market.

In a 2025 interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Roslansky discussed the fastest-growing jobs in the AI era and how workers could prepare for shifts in the employment landscape. He has advocated for employers to prioritize hiring candidates who are "forward thinking" and "ready to learn" AI skills, rather than focusing solely on candidates with traditional qualifications.

Roslansky has also authored a book on the subject of AI and the workforce, providing guidance to workers on how to thrive in an AI-driven economy. His advocacy for AI literacy has been consistent across multiple platforms and venues, reflecting both his personal conviction about the technology's transformative potential and LinkedIn's strategic positioning as a platform for professional development.

In a July 2025 interview with Semafor, Roslansky discussed the challenge of integrating AI into LinkedIn's products while maintaining the platform's core identity as a professional network. The article noted his approach of wanting to "keep LinkedIn as LinkedIn" while incorporating AI features.

In December 2025, Roslansky made headlines for his career advice that traditional five-year career plans are "outdated," recommending instead that professionals focus on shorter time horizons given the rapid pace of technological change. He told Fortune that he would "much recommend people focus on maybe the next few months" rather than long-term career planning. He elaborated on this view in an interview with CNBC, calling the traditional approach "a little bit foolish" in the context of rapid AI-driven changes to the employment landscape.

Expanded Role at Microsoft

In June 2025, Microsoft announced that Roslansky would take on additional responsibilities beyond his role as CEO of LinkedIn. He was appointed to oversee Microsoft's Office productivity software division, which includes products such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related applications.

The expanded role represented a significant increase in Roslansky's responsibilities within Microsoft's corporate structure. Having led LinkedIn for five years, his appointment to oversee one of Microsoft's most established and revenue-generating product lines signaled the confidence of Microsoft's leadership in his management capabilities. The move also suggested a potential strategic alignment between LinkedIn's professional networking and learning tools and Microsoft's productivity software suite.

Personal Life

Roslansky has three children. He has generally maintained a relatively low public profile regarding his personal life, preferring to focus his public commentary on professional topics related to LinkedIn, workforce development, and technology.

He has been active in public discourse around the future of work, contributing opinion pieces and participating in media interviews, though his public statements have primarily centered on his professional role and the topics of employment, skills development, and technology's impact on the labor market.

Recognition

Forbes CEO Next List

In 2021, Roslansky was named to the Forbes CEO Next list, which identified emerging leaders considered likely to have a significant impact on American business. The recognition came during his first full year as CEO of LinkedIn, as he navigated the platform through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw efforts to support displaced workers through upskilling initiatives.

Board Memberships

In 2023, Roslansky was appointed to the board of directors of Intuit, the financial software company behind products such as TurboTax and QuickBooks. He joined the board alongside Eric Yuan, the CEO and founder of Zoom Video Communications.

Also in 2023, Roslansky was announced as a new member of the board of trustees of the Paley Center for Media, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discussion and preservation of media history.

Legacy

Roslansky's tenure as CEO of LinkedIn has coincided with a period of substantial transformation in both the technology industry and the broader labor market. Under his leadership, LinkedIn has grown from approximately 675 million members at the time of his appointment to 1.2 billion users by 2025, representing a near-doubling of the platform's user base during his first five years in the role.

His career at LinkedIn — spanning from 2009 to the present — has encompassed the platform's evolution from a professional networking site to a multifaceted platform incorporating content publishing, online learning, news, and AI-powered tools. The acquisition of Lynda.com, which Roslansky championed, established LinkedIn as a player in the online education market and created the foundation for LinkedIn Learning, which has become one of the most widely used corporate learning platforms.

Roslansky's expanded role at Microsoft, announced in 2025, positions him as one of the most senior executives within one of the world's largest technology companies, overseeing both a professional networking platform with over a billion users and a productivity software suite used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. His elevation within Microsoft's leadership structure reflects the growing strategic importance of LinkedIn within the company's broader ecosystem.

His public advocacy for AI literacy and skills-based hiring has contributed to ongoing conversations about the future of work and the role of technology in shaping employment. Through LinkedIn's data and his own public commentary, Roslansky has sought to influence how employers, workers, and policymakers approach the rapidly changing labor market in the age of artificial intelligence.