My Next Play: LinkedIn CEO

Today I shared the news with the product team at LinkedIn that on June 1, I’m leaving the best job I’ve ever had. But it’s for what I consider a dream job, to become CEO of LinkedIn. 

I remember when Jeff called me in late 2008 to tell me about this company called LinkedIn he was passionate about. The courage and conviction in his voice about what LinkedIn could become was unlike anything I had ever heard him say in the six years I had known him. I was hooked, and without hesitating knew I had to be part of this journey. It was the second best decision I ever made. (First was marrying my wife, Leigh, of course.) Over my 10+ years at LinkedIn, I’ve been fortunate to work on every part of our product ecosystem - spanning the largest global professional social network and the six distinct businesses built on top of it. To say I am humbled to lead this company into the future would be an understatement. As the world of work evolves at an accelerated pace, I firmly believe there is no other platform with the potential to help professionals navigate their careers. 

For the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead the LinkedIn product team as our community has grown and evolved into a vibrant ecosystem where professionals come on a daily basis. Everything we’ve built is created on top of the foundation Reid Hoffman and Allen Blue launched and nurtured. We’ve taken the world’s most powerful way for professionals to stay connected and made it the most trusted place for professional conversations. We’ve created a destination that attracts more than 35 million job seekers every week and where someone is hired every 7 seconds. We’ve helped marketers talk to the right, high-quality audience; enabled jobseekers to connect with hiring managers to get to that next step in their career; created ways for businesses big and small to explain how they view the world and to find customers and employees. 

To think that the network we’ve built has put us on the path to fulfill LinkedIn’s vision of creating economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce is mindblowing. 

My new role starts on June 1. But I’m not thinking about that date just yet. Instead I’m focused on gratitude. Gratitude for the incredible people who I get to work with every day — our product org and the entire team at LinkedIn. Gratitude for our members and customers who power the LinkedIn ecosystem. Gratitude for Jeff, who has taught us all what it means to lead with consistency, compassion and trust. The fact that he agreed to stay on as Executive Chairman, focused on fulfilling the vision of LinkedIn, means the world to me. And finally, gratitude for Satya and the team at Microsoft, who I am excited to work with to help LinkedIn continue to grow. Thank you.

I’m taking on this new role of CEO because I believe deeply in what we are doing, how we are manifesting our vision, and where this company can go. And the best part about it is that I truly believe we’re just getting started.