logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
1h 17m

#452 - Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Paypal -...

Matthieu Stefani | Orso Media
About this episode

Rendez-vous le jeudi 20 mars à 18h30 pour le prochain GDI-Live sur le thème : "Se lancer plus vite plus fort grâce à l'IA". Inscrivez-vous ici

Retrouvez l'épisode en version française ici : https://www.gdiy.fr/podcast/reid-hoffman-fr/

Reid Hoffman is a giant in the world of entrepreneurship. A founding member of the “PayPal Mafia,” he went on to create LinkedIn in 2003, firmly establishing himself as one of the OGs of the world’s biggest tech companies.

According to Reid, a startup can hardly succeed if its founding members work less than 80 hours per week, as Silicon Valley imposes a "fast and aggressive" pace upon the rest of the world.

He was on a board member of some of the world’s most important tech companies, including Airbnb, OpenAI, and Microsoft.

Since AI's breakthrough to the public in 2022, he has already co-founded two companies in the sector (Inflexion AI and Manas AI). Reid has already co-founded two companies in the field—Inflexion AI and Manas AI. But his fascination with AI goes way back to 1990, when he studied AI and philosophy at Oxford to explore the nature of intelligence and language.

His approach is fundamentally humanistic, and his goal is crystal clear:

How can we leverage technology to become better people?

A staunch tech optimist, Reid advocates—both politically and entrepreneurially—for humanity to embrace new technologies and harness their full potential.

In this episode, Reid shares:

  • Why 80-hour weeks are key to thriving in the startup world
  • Tips for smart hiring and building a strong, healthy culture
  • His take on AI regulation and how it might stifle innovation
  • How to use AI like a pro in everyday life
  • A philosophical look at the relationship between humans and technology

The entire GDIY team is thrilled to bring you this conversation with one of the most influential figures in global tech. Tune in to learn from one of the best in the business and get inspired to build tomorrow’s great companies.

TIMELINE:

  • 00:00:00 : How to maintain an "esprit de corps" and a healthy corporate culture
  • 00:10:15 : Homo technicus : the influence of technology upon humanity
  • 00:15:29 : AI and philosophy : using tech to become better humans
  • 00:25:03 : How to use the different AIs like a pro
  • 00:34:07 : The PayPal adventure and the never-ending concerns towards technology
  • 00:44:43 : The biggest European mistake : "regulation kills innovation"
  • 00:50:04 : A good hire can learn, iterate and work in teams
  • 00:55:10 : The best use cases for AI
  • 01:03:45 : Why governments have to care about the tech industry
  • 01:10:10 : The easiest way to be successful

We referred to previous GDIY episodes :

We spoke about:

Reading Recommendations : 

You can contact Reid on LinkedIn, X, Instagram.

We would like to thank Penry Price, whose support made this episode possible.

Do you like the theme music? It’s thanks to Morgan Prudhomme! Contact him at: https://studio-module.com

Interested in sponsoring Generation Do It Yourself or proposing a partnership? Contact my label Orso Media through this form.

Up next
Jul 6
#479 - Nikola Karabatic - Champion de Handball - 22 titres sur 23 : la légende du sport français
Sur ses 23 championnats, il en a gagné 22. Nikola Karabatic est probablement le sportif français le plus consistant.Mais il y a un prix à payer : dans cet épisode, il se livre sur ses batailles mentales et les difficultés pour atteindre le sommet.Issu d’une famille de sportifs d’ ... Show More
2h 35m
Jul 6
[EXTRAIT] Nikola Karabatic - Maîtriser ses émotions pour être plus performant
Pour écouter l'épisode en entier, tapez "#479 - Nikola Karabatic - Champion de Handball - 22 titres sur 23 : la légende du sport français" sur votre plateforme d'écoute.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations. 
15m 57s
Jul 2
[REDIFF] Virginie Guyot - Patrouille de France - Débriefer pour atteindre l’excellence
Si vous pensiez, ne serait-ce qu’une seule seconde, passer cet épisode, vous feriez une ÉNORME erreur. Vraiment. Cet épisode, c’est un vol en rafale. Une plongée dans l’armée de l’air avec tout ce que cela peut nous apporter à nous, en tant qu’humain, que salarié ou que dirigeant ... Show More
2h 52m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
Superagency: The Bull Case for AI | Reid Hoffman
In this episode of Bankless, Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Super Agency, explores how AI is set to transform humanity and amplify individual potential. We dive into Hoffman’s vision of “super agency,” We examine AI's potential to democratize technology and re ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2024
Measuring The Speed of AI Through Benchmarks
David Kanter, Executive Director at MLCommons, discusses the work they’re doing with MLPerf Benchmarks, creating the world’s first industry standard approach to measuring AI speed and safety. He also shares ways they’re testing AI and LLMs for harm, to measure—and, over time, red ... Show More
31m 45s
Aug 2024
#364: Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET, on The Relationship Between AI & Blockchain, The Future of AI, and AGI
Dr. Ben Goertzel is a highly influential figure in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and computational finance. Born in 1966, he has been a pioneering force in multiple scientific and technological domains. With a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Temple University, Goertz ... Show More
45m 12s
Apr 15
#224 Bret Taylor: A Vision for AI’s Next Frontier
What happens when one of the most legendary minds in tech delves deep into the real workings of modern AI? A 2-hour long masterclass that you don’t want to miss. Bret Taylor, current chairman of OpenAI, unpacks why AI is transforming software engineering forever, how founders can ... Show More
2h 11m
Mar 2025
Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder)
Anton Osika is the co-founder and CEO of Lovable, which is building what they call “the last piece of software”—an AI-powered tool that turns descriptions into working products without requiring any coding knowledge. Since launching three months ago, Lovable hit $4 million ARR in ... Show More
1h 9m
May 4
Inside Devin: The world’s first autonomous AI engineer that's set to write 50% of its company’s code by end of year | Scott Wu (CEO and co-founder of Cognition)
Scott Wu is the co-founder and CEO of Cognition, the company behind Devin—the world’s first autonomous AI software engineer. Unlike other AI coding tools, Devin works like an autonomous engineer that you can interact with through Slack, Linear, and GitHub, just like with a remote ... Show More
1h 32m
Mar 2025
#217 Josh Wolfe: Human Advantage in the World of AI
While Silicon Valley chases unicorns, Josh Wolfe hunts for something far more elusive: scientific breakthroughs that could change civilization. As co-founder and managing partner of Lux Capital, he's looking for the kind of science that turns impossible into inevitable. Josh does ... Show More
2h 2m
Apr 9
541: One of the World’s Leading Management Thinkers on Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 541, an interview with the author of Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI, Faisal Hoque. In this episode, Faisal shares his journey from his early days developing software to becoming a business leader focused on strategy and impact. F ... Show More
46m 53s
Oct 2024
Never Too Much AI: Upwork's Andrew Rabinovich
Andrew Rabinovich began his career in technology working on AI applications for cancer detection. He also spent time at Google, working on early iterations of products like Google Glass. Now at Upwork, as vice president and head of AI and machine learning, Rabinovich and his team ... Show More
36m 37s
Jun 11
The AI Minded Path to Scalable and Responsible Innovation Across the Enterprise - with James Raybould of Turing Intelligence
Enterprise leaders are no longer asking if they should adopt AI — the question is how to do it effectively. In this episode, Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello speaks with James Raybould, SVP and GM of Turing Intelligence at Turing, about what distinguishes successful enter ... Show More
31m 18s