With over 850 million members across the globe, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professionals looking to network, build their personal brand, and advance their careers. But who stands out as the most influential member on LinkedIn today? Let’s take a look at some of the top contenders based on their number of followers, engagement, and overall impact.
Jeff Weiner
As the CEO of LinkedIn since 2008, Jeff Weiner has built the platform into the largest professional networking site in the world. He has over 500,000 followers and frequently shares leadership and career advice. Under his leadership, LinkedIn has expanded its capabilities from a resume network to a comprehensive career development and hiring platform. As the head of LinkedIn, Weiner has tremendous influence over the platform’s features and direction.
Richard Branson
British business magnate Sir Richard Branson is one of the most prominent figures on LinkedIn with over 1.5 million followers. Branson regularly shares inspirational and thought-provoking content about entrepreneurship, leadership, and his Virgin business ventures. His posts generate thousands of likes and comments. As the lively founder of Virgin Group, Branson provides an aspirational figure for many professionals looking to emulate his success.
Bill Gates
With over 12 million followers, Bill Gates has major visibility on LinkedIn. Gates uses his influence to promote philanthropy and global health initiatives through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He provides frequent updates on his charitable activities across the world. Gates also weighs in on issues like climate change, education, and technology to drive discussion. His fame makes him one of LinkedIn’s biggest influencers.
Barack Obama
The former U.S. president has accumulated over 4 million followers on LinkedIn. Obama shares posts covering leadership, social change, and technology innovation. He provides unique insight into topics that shaped his presidency and drive much of today’s national dialogue. Obama’s status as a widely admired public figure gives him a prominent voice on LinkedIn’s platform.
Satya Nadella
As Microsoft’s CEO, Nadella has grown his LinkedIn following to over 1 million members. He provides updates on Microsoft’s products, workplace culture, and technology vision. Nadella is also an advocate for inclusive leadership, and he uses his influence to encourage greater diversity and empathy in the tech industry. Under his leadership, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016.
Sundar Pichai
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai engages over 3 million LinkedIn followers through posts on innovation, emerging technology, remote work, and leadership development. He highlights Google’s programs, products, and workplace initiatives. Pichai also shares his views on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, self-driving cars, and other advancements that Google is pursuing. As head of one of the world’s leading tech companies, Pichai provides unique insight to guide professionals navigating today’s digital landscape.
Jack Welch
The legendary former CEO of GE has over 760,000 followers on LinkedIn. Now retired, Welch shares his decades of management experience through posts on leadership, productivity, hiring practices, and more. He also weighs in on current business trends and news events. Welch’s track record growing GE into an industrial giant gives him major credibility as a thought leader.
Arianna Huffington
Co-founder of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington uses her LinkedIn platform to advocate for wellbeing in the workplace. With over 1.3 million followers, she provides advice on avoiding burnout, achieving work-life balance, practicing mindfulness, and getting better sleep. She highlights the importance of rest for productivity and creativity. Huffington offers a reminder for professionals to prioritize their health and prevent stress.
Bernard Marr
With over 700,000 followers, Bernard Marr publishes frequent posts on data, AI, digital transformation, and the future of work. His bestselling books and consulting experience give him broad exposure. Marr comments on how emerging technologies will shape businesses and disrupt industries. His insights help professionals and executives navigate digital change and upskilling.
Cheryl Cran
Cheryl Cran calls herself the “Millennial Workplace Expert” and provides advice on leadership, HR issues, and generational dynamics. Her following exceeds 650,000 members. Cran offers ideas for motivating teams, attracting talent, supporting mental health, and creating an engaging employee experience. She highlights case studies from leading organizations around the world.
Data
Here is a table comparing the followers and engagement of the top influencers on LinkedIn:
| Influencer | Followers | Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Weiner | 500,000 | High |
| Richard Branson | 1.5 million | High |
| Bill Gates | 12 million | Very High |
| Barack Obama | 4 million | Very High |
| Satya Nadella | 1 million | High |
| Sundar Pichai | 3 million | High |
| Jack Welch | 760,000 | High |
| Arianna Huffington | 1.3 million | High |
| Bernard Marr | 700,000 | High |
| Cheryl Cran | 650,000 | High |
Most Followed Influencers by Industry
When we segment the most followed influencers on LinkedIn by industry, some clear leaders emerge:
Technology
- Bill Gates – 12 million followers
- Satya Nadella – 1 million followers
- Sundar Pichai – 3 million followers
Business
- Jack Welch – 760,000 followers
- Richard Branson – 1.5 million followers
Politics
Media
Careers
- Jeff Weiner – 500,000 followers
- Bernard Marr – 700,000 followers
- Cheryl Cran – 650,000 followers
This breakdown shows that technology executives like Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai tend to have the biggest followings overall. However, influential professionals emerge in every major industry.
Most Engaging Influencers
While follower count is important, engagement is also a key metric of influence on social platforms like LinkedIn. Engagement represents how much interaction an influencer’s content drives in terms of likes, comments, clicks, and shares. Here are some of LinkedIn’s most engaging influencers based on these metrics:
- Barack Obama
- Bill Gates
- Richard Branson
- Arianna Huffington
- Sundar Pichai
Despite having varying follower counts, these five profiles consistently drive significant engagement with their posts through their compelling, inspiring, and informative content.
Most Endorsed Skills
One interesting way to examine influence on LinkedIn is looking at which skills influencers are most endorsed for by others on the platform. Here are some top skills of influential LinkedIn members:
- Leadership – Jeff Weiner, Jack Welch, Barack Obama
- Communication – Arianna Huffington, Barack Obama
- Entrepreneurship – Richard Branson, Cheryl Cran
- Strategic Planning – Bill Gates, Bernard Marr
- Public Speaking – Barack Obama, Richard Branson
Having their skills endorsed by hundreds or even thousands of connections allows these influencers to strengthen their authority in key areas.
Most Influential Based on Articles
In addition to posts, LinkedIn allows members to publish long-form articles on their profiles. The number of reads and shares that these articles generate can indicate who the most influential long-form content creators are. Here are some of the most viral LinkedIn authors based on their article engagement:
- Bernard Marr – articles routinely get 60k+ reads and 1k+ shares
- Jeff Weiner – his articles get 20-30k reads and hundreds of shares
- Arianna Huffington – articles receive 15-25k reads on average
- Cheryl Cran – her articles tend to get 15-20k reads and up to 500 shares
- Jack Welch – his leadership articles average around 15-20k reads
These figures indicate thought leaders who know how to craft compelling articles that resonate widely with the LinkedIn community.
Most Influential By Industry
Taking a step back, we can look at the most influential people on LinkedIn segmented into a few key industries:
Technology
Bill Gates – His technology insights as former Microsoft CEO give him unmatched credibility.
Business
Jack Welch – His track record growing GE and candid leadership/management advice make him a top business influencer.
Politics
Barack Obama – As a former U.S. president, Obama provides unique value and insights around leadership.
Careers
Jeff Weiner – As LinkedIn’s CEO, he shapes the platform’s career development capabilities.
Wellness
Arianna Huffington – Her focus on avoiding burnout makes her a leading wellness authority.
Recent Trends
Zooming into more recent trends, some newer faces have risen to prominence in terms of engagement and influence on LinkedIn over the past 1-2 years. Here are some of the newer yet quickly growing influencers on the platform:
- Ankur Warikoo – leadership/career advice, 200k+ followers
- Bruce Daisley – workplace culture/wellness, 170k+ followers
- Dr. Ivan Misner – networking insights, 330k+ followers
- Lori Gottlieb – wellbeing/fulfillment advice, 150k+ followers
- Krister Ungerböck – cloud/SaaS thought leader, 130k+ followers
These professionals demonstrate the ability to build an audience around career development topics, self-improvement, leadership, and workplace culture.
Measuring Influence
There are a few key metrics we can use to measure influence on LinkedIn:
- Follower count
- Engagement with posts – likes, comments, shares
- Views and engagement on long-form articles
- Endorsements for skills and expertise
- Mentions and shares by other influencers
However, true influence is difficult to quantify. While social signals like followers and engagement provide valuable data, someone’s true influence stems from how much they shape opinions, inspire action, and impact professional growth. Difficult to measure directly, influence is best assessed holistically across a range of indicators.
Conclusion
LinkedIn influence stems from crafting compelling content, driving high engagement, and leveraging credibility rooted in experience. While numerous figures have built sizable audiences, a few standout as especially influential based on followers, engagement, expertise endorsements, and article readership. Leading executives in technology and business like Bill Gates and Jack Welch continue to have major sway, as do career development experts such as Jeff Weiner and Bernard Marr. Barack Obama and Richard Branson demonstrate the influence well-known public figures can wield through LinkedIn. Newer faces like Ankur Warikoo and Bruce Daisley show rising influencers focusing on leadership, culture, and wellbeing topics. With its vast professional network, LinkedIn provides a powerful platform for building authority and amplifying messages to the career-minded community.
