Reid Hoffman

. -- Few Internet entrepreneurs practice what they preach as devoutly as LinkedIn Corp. co-founder Reid Hoffman, whose business revolves around his belief that good fortune flows from good relationships. Hoffman, 40, has put that principle to work by mining his own vast network of Silicon Valley connections to rake in one Internet jackpot after another. A college friendship led Hoffman to PayPal and his first windfall when EBay Inc. bought the online payment service for $1.5 billion in 2002.

Reid Hoffman is a big man in Silicon Valley. And, try as he might to remain in the background, his stature just keeps growing -- literally and figuratively. It all began in the bleak aftermath of the dot-com bust, when despondent entrepreneurs and investors were throwing in the towel. Hoffman, never one to shrink from a challenge, rolled up his sleeves. The PayPal Inc. veteran took some of the $10 million he made in 2002, when EBay Inc.

In a major leadership shake-up at one of Silicon Valley's hottest companies, LinkedIn Corp. founder Reid Hoffman is retaking the helm and bringing in former Yahoo Inc. executive Jeff Weiner as interim president. Hoffman will replace Chief Executive Dan Nye, a veteran software executive recruited nearly two years ago who has helped propel dramatic growth at one of the standouts among social networks.