LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman admits meeting Jeffrey Epstein after 2015
What's the story
Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has admitted to multiple meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after 2015. The revelation comes as a correction to Hoffman's previous statement in 2019 when he said his last interaction with Epstein was in 2015. However, a recent review of his calendar entries revealed at least six meetings with Epstein after that year, including three in-person ones.
Fundraising connections
All meetings related to MIT Media Lab fundraising
Hoffman clarified that his meetings with Epstein were all related to fundraising for the MIT Media Lab. The meetings were arranged by Joi Ito, the lab's former director. "In 2019, I told Axios the last meeting I had with him was in 2015, but I was mistaken," Hoffman said on X.
Meeting details
Timeline of Hoffman's meetings with Epstein
Hoffman also shared the timeline of his meetings with Epstein. Five of them were held between April and July 2016, while the last one was on March 24, 2018. This was just over a year before Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. "I have done multiple calendar searches, and if I find any other meetings, I will continue to share them," Hoffman said.
Regret expressed
'Regret knowing Epstein'
Hoffman has expressed his regret over knowing Epstein, saying he only had a fundraising relationship with him for MIT. "The victims of Epstein's abhorrent and vile actions deserve all the information they are seeking," he said. In his 2019 statement to Axios, Hoffman had already expressed regret over his interactions with Epstein, saying they were limited and undertaken at the request of Ito.