Jeff Weiner

Jeff Weiner
Born	Jeffrey Weiner 21 2, 1970
Birthplace	New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive, venture capitalist
Known for	CEO of LinkedIn (2009–2020), Executive Chairman of LinkedIn
Education	University of Pennsylvania (BS)
Awards	Entrepreneur of the Year (Inc. magazine, 2011)

Jeffrey Weiner (born February 21, 1970) is an American business executive who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of LinkedIn, the professional networking platform, from 2009 to 2020. He joined LinkedIn in December 2008 as interim president before being named CEO, and over the following decade he oversaw the company's growth from a niche professional network into one of the world's largest and most influential technology platforms. Weiner played a central role in LinkedIn's initial public offering in 2011 and its subsequent acquisition by Microsoft for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, one of the largest technology acquisitions in history. Prior to LinkedIn, Weiner held senior leadership positions at Yahoo!, where he served as executive vice president of the company's Network Division. After stepping down as LinkedIn's CEO in June 2020, he transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman. He is also the founding partner of Next Play Ventures, a venture capital firm. Throughout his career, Weiner has become known for advocating what he calls "compassionate management," a leadership philosophy emphasizing empathy, trust, and long-term thinking.

Early Life

Jeffrey Weiner was born on February 21, 1970, in New York City, New York. He grew up in the New York metropolitan area. Details about his family background and childhood remain largely private, though Weiner has spoken in various public forums about the formative experiences that shaped his interest in business and technology.

Education

Weiner attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, known for its business curriculum, was part of the broader educational environment in which Weiner developed his interest in business strategy and management. Weiner has returned to speak at academic institutions throughout his career, including at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he discussed leadership and the future of work, and at Northeastern University, where he participated in a Presidential Speaker Series fireside chat on the topic of compassionate leadership.

Career

Yahoo!

Before joining LinkedIn, Weiner spent more than seven years at Yahoo!, where he rose to become one of the company's most senior executives. He ultimately held the title of executive vice president of Yahoo!'s Network Division, overseeing the company's content, communications, and community products. The Network Division at the time was one of Yahoo!'s largest business units, encompassing properties such as Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, and other flagship services.

Weiner's departure from Yahoo! in 2008 was considered a significant loss for the company. According to reports at the time, Yahoo! did not immediately replace him in his role, a sign of the difficulty of filling the position and the breadth of his responsibilities. After leaving Yahoo!, Weiner briefly joined venture capital firms Accel Partners and Greylock Partners as a partner and adviser, working with technology startups before being recruited to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn: Early Leadership

Weiner joined LinkedIn on December 15, 2008, initially serving as interim president. He was subsequently named CEO of the company. When he discussed taking the role with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Weiner reportedly asked Hoffman what decisions each of them would be responsible for, an exchange that set the tone for a collaborative leadership dynamic between the founder and the incoming chief executive.

Under Weiner's leadership, LinkedIn expanded from a professional networking tool used primarily for recruiting into a multifaceted platform with diversified revenue streams. Weiner spoke publicly about the company's growth strategy, business intelligence capabilities, and the potential for an initial public offering in a 2010 interview. LinkedIn went public on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2011, and its stock price more than doubled on the first day of trading, making it one of the most successful technology IPOs of that year.

In 2011, Weiner and Hoffman were jointly named Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine in recognition of their work building LinkedIn into one of the most significant technology companies in Silicon Valley.

Growth and Advertising Strategy

As CEO, Weiner presided over the expansion of LinkedIn's advertising and marketing products. By 2012, he was publicly discussing new advertising opportunities for marketers on the platform, reflecting LinkedIn's strategy of developing a robust advertising business alongside its established recruiting and premium subscription revenue streams.

Weiner also established internal organizational structures that supported LinkedIn's rapid scaling. He was credited with building out LinkedIn's Business Operations (BizOps) team, a cross-functional group that became a model for other technology companies. The BizOps function combined elements of strategy, analytics, and operations, and its creation at LinkedIn was later cited as an influential development in how technology companies organize their internal strategy teams.

By 2014, Weiner was recognized as one of the top technology CEOs in the United States. Baseline Magazine included him in its ranking of the top ten CEOs at U.S. technology companies. Fortune magazine profiled him as "LinkedIn's Networker-in-Chief" in a 2014 cover story that examined how Weiner transformed the company's culture and strategy.

Microsoft Acquisition

In June 2016, Microsoft announced its agreement to acquire LinkedIn for approximately $26.2 billion, making it one of the largest technology acquisitions in history. Weiner played a central role in negotiating and facilitating the deal. Under the terms of the acquisition, LinkedIn continued to operate as an independent entity within Microsoft, and Weiner remained as CEO, reporting to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Weiner discussed the integration and the future of LinkedIn as part of Microsoft in a public interview at the Code Conference in November 2016.

In an act of generosity that drew public attention, Weiner gave his annual stock bonus — valued at approximately $14 million — back to LinkedIn employees in 2016. The gesture was reported by Fortune and other outlets as an example of his management philosophy in practice.

Transition to Executive Chairman

On February 5, 2020, LinkedIn announced that Weiner would step down as CEO effective June 1, 2020, and transition to the role of Executive Chairman. Ryan Roslansky, a longtime LinkedIn executive who had served as senior vice president of product, was named as his successor. The announcement emphasized that the transition had been planned in advance and that Weiner would continue to play an active role in guiding LinkedIn's strategy and culture.

In his announcement about the transition, Weiner noted that one of his focuses going forward would be increasing the diversity of LinkedIn's network and its workforce. Forbes reported on his stated commitment to these diversity goals as part of his evolving priorities as Executive Chairman.

Next Play Ventures

After transitioning from the CEO role, Weiner founded Next Play Ventures, a venture capital firm. The firm's name references a concept Weiner often used at LinkedIn — "next play" — which he borrowed from Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski to encourage a forward-looking, resilient mindset among employees. Through Next Play Ventures, Weiner invests in early-stage technology companies.

Speaking and Thought Leadership

Weiner has been a frequent speaker at business conferences, universities, and corporate events. He has shared his views on management, corporate culture, and the future of work at venues including the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, and Northeastern University.

At a 2017 event at Stanford, Weiner discussed his approach to compassionate management and warned about the coming displacement of workers by automation and artificial intelligence, urging business leaders to prepare for what he called "the next worker revolution."

In a 2018 interview with Knowledge at Wharton, Weiner elaborated on his belief that compassion — which he distinguished from empathy by defining it as empathy combined with a desire to help — is essential for building high-performing companies. He argued that companies lacking trust and empathy in their cultures struggle to make better decisions faster.

In October 2025, Weiner participated in a fireside chat with Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun as part of the university's Presidential Speaker Series. During the event, he continued to advocate for compassionate leadership, urging executives to embrace this approach in their organizations.

Weiner also developed educational content for LinkedIn's own learning platform. He created a course on LinkedIn Learning focused on establishing a corporate culture and a plan for scaling a company, drawing on his experience growing LinkedIn from a startup into a global enterprise.

Personal Life

Weiner is a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. He is known to be a practitioner of meditation and mindfulness, which he has cited as influences on his management philosophy. Weiner has spoken publicly about the importance of scheduling "buffers" — unstructured time in his calendar — as a deliberate practice for reflection and strategic thinking, a habit he maintained throughout his tenure as CEO of LinkedIn.

In March 2016, Weiner donated his annual stock bonus, valued at approximately $14 million, back to LinkedIn's employees, distributing the funds across the company's workforce. The action was reported widely and was consistent with his stated philosophy of investing in people and creating shared value within organizations.

Recognition

Throughout his career, Weiner has received recognition from multiple business publications and industry organizations for his leadership at LinkedIn.

In 2011, Weiner and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman were jointly named Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine.

Baseline Magazine ranked Weiner among the top ten CEOs at U.S. technology companies in 2014.

Fortune magazine featured Weiner in a prominent 2014 profile, describing his role at LinkedIn under the headline "LinkedIn's Networker-in-Chief."

The Boston Consulting Group featured Weiner in a discussion about talent and opportunity, reflecting his influence on the broader conversation about how technology platforms can connect people with economic opportunities.

Legacy

Weiner's tenure as CEO of LinkedIn, spanning more than eleven years, coincided with the platform's transformation from a professional networking site with limited revenue diversification into a global technology company with more than 700 million members at the time of his departure. Under his leadership, LinkedIn went public, was acquired by Microsoft in one of the largest technology deals in history, and expanded its product offerings to include content publishing, online learning (through the acquisition of Lynda.com), and enterprise recruiting tools.

His advocacy of compassionate management has influenced discussions about corporate leadership. Weiner's distinction between empathy and compassion — the former being the ability to understand another person's experience, the latter being the desire to act on that understanding — has been cited in business school curricula and executive education programs.

Weiner's concept of managing to a long-term vision while maintaining short-term operational discipline became a defining characteristic of LinkedIn's corporate culture during his leadership. His creation of the BizOps function at LinkedIn subsequently influenced how other technology companies structured their strategy and operations teams.

As of 2025, Weiner continued to be active in the technology and business world through his role as Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, his work with Next Play Ventures, and his ongoing public speaking on topics including leadership, artificial intelligence, and the future of work.