A conservative watchdog group, the National Legal and Policy Center, is demanding the removal of billionaire Democratic megadonor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman from the Microsoft board of directors. The group, which is a shareholder in the company, argues that Hoffman’s political activism and association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein harm Microsoft’s image.
In a letter addressed to Sandra E. Peterson, the Microsoft legal independent director and chair of the governance nominating committee, the NLPC Corporate Integrity Project director Paul Chesser stated, “While the National Legal and Policy Center respects Mr. Hoffman’s right to make political donations, as Microsoft shareholders, we believe his partisan political activities damage the firm’s reputation.” The letter also expressed concerns about the potential alienation of a significant portion of the company’s customer base due to Hoffman’s political activities.
Hoffman, who co-founded LinkedIn in 2003 and sold it to Microsoft for $26.2 billion in 2016, joined the Microsoft board of directors. The NLPC letter raised objections to Hoffman’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing it as a significant liability to Microsoft’s reputation. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Hoffman had visited Epstein’s private Caribbean Island on at least one occasion in 2014 and had planned to stay at Epstein’s luxury Manhattan townhouse.
The letter further criticized Hoffman’s “unethical and brazenly political activism,” mentioning his involvement in financing Project Birmingham during Alabama’s special U.S. Senate election in 2017. The project was later revealed to have falsely portrayed Russian support for Alabama Republican candidate Roy Moore. Additionally, Hoffman’s nonprofit American Future Republic was found to have covered the legal bills of E. Jean Carroll, who successfully sued former President Donald Trump for defamation.
Hoffman’s financial support for digital advertising firm MotiveAI was also highlighted in the letter. The firm set up pages promoting conspiracy theories during the Supreme Court confirmation battle over Brett Kavanaugh and made sexist comments about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Republican megadonor Rebekah Mercer. The letter also mentioned Hoffman’s involvement in financing ACROYNM, a liberal “dark money” group that launched Shadow, Inc., the vendor involved in the botched voter tabulation during the 2020 Democratic Iowa Caucuses.
The NLPC letter concludes by requesting Hoffman’s resignation from the Microsoft board and urging the prevention of his candidacy for another term. Microsoft has yet to respond to the letter, and a spokesperson simply stated that the company has nothing to share. Attempts to reach Hoffman for comment through Greylock, the venture capital firm where he is a partner, were unsuccessful.
Reid Hoffman, with a net worth of $2.2 billion, is recognized for his pivotal investments in companies like Airbnb and PayPal. He has also been an active donor to political campaigns, with a significant contribution to the Biden Victory Fund.
Conservative state treasurers are being sought by the National Legal and Policy Center to support the removal of Hoffman from the Microsoft board. Many Republican state treasurers have expressed opposition to what they perceive as woke corporate policies. However, given Microsoft’s location in Washington state, which leans left, the success of the watchdog group’s demands remains uncertain.
In conclusion, the National Legal and Policy Center’s call for the removal of Reid Hoffman from the Microsoft board highlights concerns about his political activism and association with Jeffrey Epstein. The watchdog group argues that these factors damage Microsoft’s reputation and risk alienating a portion of the company’s customer base. The response from Microsoft and the potential support from conservative state treasurers remain to be seen.
