Microsoft, the parent company of LinkedIn, has tapped Daniel Shapero, the professional networking site’s current chief operating officer, as its next CEO, current chief executive Ryan Roslansky announced earlier this week. 

Shapero, who has been serving as COO since 2021, wrote on the platform Wednesday, “Today, I’m taking on the role as CEO of Linkedin. I joined Linkedin in May 2008 as employee #300ish, and it’s easy to say that my time at the company has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.” The network has close to 1.5 billion users worldwide. 

While rarely speaking publicly about his Jewish background, Shapero highlighted his Jewish immigrant grandparents’ resilience opening businesses in Maine and Pennsylvania in a 2019 episode of the “Disrupt Yourself Podcast.” He also shared in a LinkedIn post that his great uncle was discriminated against for his background and not offered entry into medical school, instead becoming a pharmacist. 

The leadership transition comes as Microsoft ramps up its AI push across its services, including introducing new generative AI tools on LinkedIn designed to draft posts, enhance user profiles and assist with personalized job searches. 

“Last year when [Microsoft CEO] Satya Nadella asked me to lead LinkedIn and Microsoft Office, I knew what he was betting on: AI is going to transform how people work and grow in their careers faster than most people expect. And LinkedIn and Office would be at the center of that,” Roslansky, who will retain his position as executive vice president at Microsoft — which acquired LinkedIn in 2016 — wrote. 

As AI expands across online platforms, several leading AI models have been found to generate extremist and antisemitic content, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League study.