LinkedIn CEO takes on second gig to lead Microsoft Office and M365 Copilot

Redmond doubles down on AI by doubling Ryan Roslansky's workload

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky is to lead the Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 Copilot teams in the latest Redmond reshuffle.

Roslansky, who made the announcement on LinkedIn, will continue to run the social media for suits platform.

The exec will report to Microsoft's Executive Vice President for Experiences and Devices, Rajesh Jha, and directly to Microsoft boss Satya Nadella as LinkedIn CEO.

Other changes include shifting Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President for Business & Industry Copilot, to Jha's unit.

Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016. In recent years, the site has been given a thorough AI-focused overhaul. It faced criticism over the scraping of posts for AI training in 2024 and half of the so-called "thought leadership" posts on the platform are estimated to be generated with the assistance of generative AI, according to Originality.AI.

Given the implementation and use of AI on LinkedIn, it is unsurprising that the service's CEO is being tasked with steering Microsoft's flagship generative AI service, Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Roslansky gushed: "Office is one of the most iconic product suites in history. It has shaped how the world works, literally. The reach and impact of Office are unmatched.

"I'm coming into this role in a new, exciting era. Productivity, connection, and AI are converging at scale. Both Office and LinkedIn are used daily by professionals globally and I'm looking forward to redefining ourselves in this new world."

He added: "And I hadn't even added an 'Open to Work' badge to my profile."

Roslansky became CEO of San Francisco-based LinkedIn in 2020, having been chief product officer since 2009. While there is no indication that Roslansky's appointment will compromise LinkedIn's relative independence, it is difficult to imagine there won't be some blurring of the lines as he oversees Microsoft 365 Copilot while adding AI features to LinkedIn.

Microsoft's suite of productivity apps is a cash cow for the company, and Roslansky proclaimed: "LinkedIn is now one of Microsoft's most successful acquisitions." In Microsoft's results for FY25 Q3, it reported revenue for the service up 8 percent compared to the previous year. ®