Reid Hoffman

Who’s Ready for the (Heaven Forbid) Social Networking Patent Wars?

Liz Gannes in Social on February 9 at 7:00 am PT

Just in case patent wars happen to be contagious, it seems worth evaluating which social networking players are best-equipped.

Visa Places Bet on New Approach to Payments With Rare Investment in TrialPay

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on January 31 at 7:00 am PT

Visa, Greylock’s Reid Hoffman and others are pouring $40 million into TrialPay, which helps companies like Facebook, Gap and Fandango increase sales through the use of incentives.

Greylock’s Reid Hoffman Invests in Swedish Social Gifting Company

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on January 18 at 4:31 am PT

Stockholm-based Wrapp, which was founded by former executives from Spotify, Groupon and other companies, has just received a $5 million gift from Reid Hoffman of Greylock Partners.

Get Your Zombie-Eaten Brain Ready for Some Big-Think Tech Books

Kara Swisher in Media on December 28, 2011 at 7:18 am PT

Time for some reading beyond 140 characters!

News Byte

More Internet Heavy Hitters Speak Out in SOPA Saga

Lauren Goode in News on December 15, 2011 at 8:53 am PT

In an open letter to Congress this morning, a group of prominent Internet engineers has spoken out against the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which are under consideration in the House and Senate. The group argues that censorship of Internet infrastructure will cause network errors and security problems, and points to China and Iran as examples. The letter comes on the heels of yesterday’s opposition in an Open Letter to Washington from other tech heavyweights, including Sergey Brin, Jerry Yang, Reid Hoffman and Jack Dorsey.

Viral Video: Rat Fingers, TouchFire and Sphero Demos

Kara Swisher in News on December 15, 2011 at 1:09 am PT

Here’s a demo of some cool and quirky gadgets for the holiday season.

Reid Hoffman and Matt Cohler Team Up to Give Edmodo $15M

Liz Gannes in Social on December 8, 2011 at 4:30 am PT

Edmodo, which helps K-12 teachers and schools create private social networks for their classrooms, has raised $15 million.

Three Months After Bartz’s Firing, It’s Hurry Up and Wait at Yahoo (A Big Honking Update)

Kara Swisher in Media on December 7, 2011 at 9:43 am PT

Still no sale or investment deal. No new CEO. No Asia resolution. And, perhaps most importantly, no clearly articulated strategy going forward. Other than that …

funny-pictures-cat-waits-outside-of-mousehole

Marc Andreessen vs. Reid Hoffman in Yahoo Savior Face-Off? Not Yet. (But Delicious to Imagine.)

Kara Swisher in News on December 1, 2011 at 2:23 am PT

Whoa, Nelly! How fantastic would it be for Silicon Valley tech legends Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman to battle for control of Yahoo? Too fantastic to actually happen. But one can hope.