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Reid Hoffman on Contrarian Thinking: Why Big Ideas Sound Crazy at First
- Startup Bell
- Sep 10, 2024
- 2 min read
Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has a key lesson for anyone thinking about starting a business or making investments: the biggest and most disruptive ideas are both contrarian and right. This means that if everyone around you thinks your idea is great, you might not be onto something revolutionary. In fact, when Hoffman first pitched the idea for LinkedIn, most of his friends thought he was crazy.
The Danger of Consensus
Hoffman explains that if you're cross-checking your business idea with your network and everyone agrees it’s a good idea, it’s a sign you may not have found something truly game-changing. Big, disruptive ideas often don't make sense to most people at first, and they might seem too risky or too far-fetched. The same was true when Hoffman was launching LinkedIn.
A Crazy Idea: Building LinkedIn
When Hoffman started LinkedIn, two-thirds of his friends told him he was out of his mind. Why? The idea of a professional network didn't seem to have value at the time. "The first person in the network? Valueless. The second person? Valueless." It was hard for people to imagine how LinkedIn would ever grow large enough to become useful. People questioned who the platform would even attract. Would it be senior professionals, or just young people?
But Hoffman had a vision that others couldn't yet see. He knew that a professional network would only become valuable at scale and that people would eventually understand the importance of connecting with colleagues, mentors, and industry leaders. He was looking years into the future while others were stuck in the present.
The Power of Being Contrarian
Reid Hoffman’s story reminds us that bold ideas often sound crazy at first. He saw something that others didn’t, and he stuck with his vision even when people around him doubted it. Today, LinkedIn has over 900 million users worldwide and is considered one of the most essential tools for professionals and businesses.
So, the next time someone tells you that your idea is wild or unworkable, remember Hoffman's experience. If your idea is both contrarian and right, you might be on the brink of something huge. Just make sure to stick with your vision and push through the initial skepticism, because that's where the real breakthroughs happen.
Listen to Reid Hoffman:
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