Reid Hoffman started his professional life with the intention of becoming an academic.
But then he realized: “in order to be a professional scholar, you have to dedicate a vast majority of your career to writing esoteric books that only 50 people will understand.” So instead, he got into the technology industry with a job at Apple, where he helped build eWorld, Apple’s version of America Online. Next, he started a company called SocialNet. It failed.
Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder - Business Insider.