Reid Hoffman doesn’t do a lot in half measures. He cofounded LinkedIn, after all, and helped bankroll firms together with Meta and Airbnb of their startup days. He has additionally normal himself, through books, podcasts, and different public appearances, as one thing of a public mental—a pro-capitalist thinker who nonetheless insists that tech generally is a power for good.
Most not too long ago, Hoffman has emerged as considered one of Silicon Valley’s most distinguished defenders of synthetic intelligence. His latest guide, 2025’s Superagency, makes the case that AI gained’t diminish human capability however will as a substitute amplify it. In our dialog for this week’s episode of The Large Interview, Hoffman readily riffed on AI’s utility for just about all the things, whether or not you’re searching for a analysis assistant or a second opinion in your blood work. Hoffman even relied on AI to make one of the unconventional—and maybe uncomfortable, relying in your view of AI-generated creativity—Christmas presents I’ve heard of currently. (And no, he didn’t get me one.)
No matter you consider Hoffman’s utopian views on AI, credit score the place due: He’s additionally a really outspoken critic of President Trump—a uncommon trait in a tech world that’s grown more and more quiet, or cozy, in the case of the cruelties of the US administration. Hoffman’s overt political opinions haven’t been with out consequence: Trump has twice threatened to launch investigations into him, most not too long ago calling on Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi to dig into Hoffman’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (In 2019, Hoffman apologized for his mid-2010s relationship with Epstein, which he says associated solely to fundraising for MIT. He has subsequently referred to as for the federal government to launch the Epstein recordsdata in full.)
Regardless of these threats, Hoffman isn’t pulling punches: Once we sat right down to tape this episode in mid-December, he readily referred to as out the administration for degrading American authorities, criticized his friends for maintaining their heads down, and urged Silicon Valley to cease pretending that neutrality is a advantage. If solely extra billionaires have been saying it.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
KATIE DRUMMOND: Reid Hoffman, welcome to The Large Interview. So glad to have you ever right here.
REID HOFFMAN: I am glad to be right here.
We like to begin these conversations with some very quick questions. Little warm-up. Are you prepared?
Nice!
Voice memo or textual content message?
Textual content message.
Cooperative video games or aggressive video games?
Cooperative video games.
The largest distinction between you and Elon Musk?
Sanity.
What’s the toughest lesson you’ve ever needed to be taught?
Oh gosh, there’s a complete lot. In all probability when to surrender.
Who do you would like would run for president in 2028?
Sanity.
Sanity for president.
Sure, precisely. You recognize, it is humorous, I most likely cannot give an excellent reply to that query. I imply, the individuals I might need to run for president most likely will not.
Oh, that is too unhealthy.
Sure.
You possibly can’t say their names?
Since I’ve tried to influence them to take action, I believe it is most likely rude.
I am fascinated. Subsequent time we discuss, I’ll power you to inform me. What’s your one, private, killer use case for AI?
Nicely, I simply generated a vacation Christmas album as my Christmas present for all my mates.
I assume all of them know that it’s AI generated music?
Sure. And it is on information. We put it on information.
So it is out of your coronary heart into the AI …
Sure.
… to their Christmas tree.
I’ve all the time had this need to have Christmas music that has irony in addition to affection for the vacation. So, there is a music on ugly sweaters and, , all of this kinda stuff. Versus the “holly, jolly Christmas,” , one thing that truly has some humor. Nearly like what “Bizarre Al” Yankovic would do if he was doing a Christmas album.
