In a recent exchange, Elon Musk publicly accused LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman of funding organizations that he believes are working against him. On his X account, Musk declared, “Reid will have many layers between himself and the organizations attacking me, but the probability is 100% that Reid is funding them. 100%.”
Hoffman swiftly responded, saying, “100% not — at least so far. I’d be interested to learn if and which organizations might actually be doing something.”
What began as a few short posts quickly spiraled into a heated discussion about online influence, public perception, and the role of technology leaders in shaping public opinion. Reid went on to allege that “the probability many, many people don’t like you? 100%. Probability that Tesla polls need to be rigged by bots to cover up the fact that people don’t like you? 100%.” He even questioned whether Musk was “making things up” rather than focusing on solving issues at hand.
Hoffman rose to prominence as one of the founders of LinkedIn, which was later acquired by Microsoft. His investments span a broad range of tech ventures, and he has been an influential figure in Silicon Valley for decades.
It is also worth noting the historical thread linking the two men. Their early association through PayPal, one of Silicon Valley’s most storied fintech enterprises, gave both founders a reputation for innovation and disruption. Despite that shared history, their paths have diverged significantly, and Hoffman’s active support for Democratic causes places him in contrast to Musk’s often unpredictable political statements.
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