Ep.540 ~ The Story of LinkedIn with the Co-Founder Konstantin Guericke

<p>Listeners, welcome to the show! Today, have a pioneer from the early days of social networking and one of the co-founders of LinkedIn on the podcast! We are going to get behind the mind and the story of how the world’s largest online business network got its start!</p> <p>He co-founded LinkedIn with Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Jean-Luc Vaillant and Eric Ly, and his name is <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantin/'>Konstantin Guericke</a>.  LinkedIn went public in 2011 for $4 billion and was purchased by Microsoft in 2016 for $26 billion. </p> <p>Recognizing the potential of the Internet with its vast networking possibilities, Konstantin and his future co-founder Reid Hoffman developed the idea for LinkedIn.</p> <p>Konstantin led the company’s marketing to profitability. For the first few years, he focused on positioning/branding, viral marketing, user engagement emails and media relations. Later, he also managed LinkedIn Groups, international expansion and the corporate sales team.</p> <p>In May of 2003, LinkedIn was officially released. They had 81,000 users by the end of that year, over ½ a million by their 12-month mark and 4.5 million users at the end of their second year. </p> <p>We’re going to dive into LinkedIn’s story with Konstatin and how he has been making an impact in the entrepreneurial world since he left LinkedIn. </p> <p> </p> <p>3:16 Intro 5:08 Where Konstantin Guericke Started 8:41 How LinkedIn Began 12:14 What Conceived The Idea Of LinkedIn 14:08 What Made LinkedIn Successful 16:19 The Concept Of LinkedIn 20:26 LinkedIn Worked 21:42 The Growth Of LinkedIn 24:26 What Was The Hardest Lesson In The Early Days Of LinkedIn 29:00 How Konstantin Projects The Future Of LinkedIn 32:26 The Orignal Founders 32:51 What’s The Most Exciting Thing About LinkedIn 37:26 What’s Still Missing In Social Networking Apps 40:31 Niche In Social Platforms 42:11 What Konstantin Did After LinkedIn 44:38 Current Projects 47:31 Effectiveness Vs Efficiency 49:29 Breaking Down Changes