Microsoft has announced a significant leadership change at LinkedIn, appointing longtime executive Dan Shapero as the new Chief Executive Officer of the professional social network. Shapero, who served as LinkedIn's Chief Operating Officer for the past five years, takes over from Ryan Roslansky, who led the platform since 2020 and recently took on additional responsibilities within Microsoft's Office productivity group. The change is effective immediately.
Shapero's Background and Vision
Shapero joined LinkedIn in 2008 and has been a key architect of the company's growth. In a post on the platform, he emphasized that his focus will be on helping professionals navigate a job market increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. He stated, 'LinkedIn is about economic opportunity, and the power of economic opportunity has never been more important than it is today as the world is transformed by AI.'
Roslansky's Continued Role
Ryan Roslansky is not leaving Microsoft; instead, he will retain his role as Executive Vice President, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Since taking the helm in 2020, Roslansky oversaw a massive expansion of LinkedIn, with membership nearly doubling from 700 million to 1.3 billion members. Under his leadership, the business continued to grow, reporting an 11% revenue increase in the most recent quarter. Microsoft is now looking to Shapero to accelerate that momentum and better compete with social media giants like Meta.
Additional Leadership Changes
As part of the reshuffle, Mohak Shroff, LinkedIn's engineering lead, is moving to Microsoft to become President of Platform and Digital Work. Erran Berger and Raghu Hiremagalur will now co-lead LinkedIn's engineering department.
Roslansky's Announcement
In his announcement on LinkedIn, Roslansky said, 'Last year when Satya Nadella asked me to lead LinkedIn and Microsoft Office, I knew what he was betting on: AI is going to transform how people work and grow in their careers faster than most people expect. And LinkedIn and Office would be at the center of that.' He added that he asked Shapero to become CEO because of his leadership across sales, marketing, and product, and that Shroff will focus on technology strategy and long-term innovation.
Shapero's Response
Shapero expressed gratitude to Mike Gamson for hiring him, to Roslansky for his partnership, and to all LinkedIn employees. He said, 'As I step into this role, I'll start by learning and listening, connecting with our team, members, creators, and customers.'
