LinkedIn is the gathering place for the world’s richest, most popular, and most influential people, and today, we’re going to list them all, based on their followers base on LinkedIn.
I may or may not offer personal commentaries for some (or all) of them, so without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Bill Gates – 36,282,428 Followers
With over 36 million followers on LinkedIn, Bill Gates seems like someone’s grandpa who’s spreading joy all around the world. He’s posting about various articles and climate change, and he’s pretty big on philanthropy.
His LinkedIn page shows him sharing articles on sustainable living, climate change, and about various medical breakthroughs that have been made in the effort to cure rare diseases.
Looking around his profile page is a pretty wholesome experience if you ask me, and it does refill your hope for humanity.
I’m getting the impression that he’s at that stage in life where he said “screw it” and went on a merry journey to help the world as much as possible. Good guy, Bill Gates!
2. Richard Branson – 19,784,849 Followers
Notice how there’s a difference of almost 16.5 million followers between Bill Gates, the most popular person on LinkedIn, and Richard Branson, the second-most popular LinkedIn personality.
In any case, Branson is well known for being the founder of Virgin Group, which controls over 400 companies in various fields around the world.
The guy is worth $3.1 billion as of 2023 and he’s 72 years old. Still, he’s extremely popular for being a loveable and direct guy.
On his LinkedIn page, you’ll mostly find articles that Branson shares about tips and tricks in life, answering life’s greatest questions, actionable advice, and words of wisdom.
How can you not love the guy? Wholesome, just like Bill Gates.
3. Jeff Weiner – 10,773,278 Followers
Jeff Weiner is LinkedIn’s former CEO and took part in the platform’s acquisition by Microsoft for $26 billion in 2016.
Other than that, the guy has over 10.7 million followers on LinkedIn and posts about talks with various people, articles he shares, and pretty much cool stuff.
What do you want me to say? I’d never heard about the guy but the way I see it, he’s still involved in LinkedIn’s development as he’s still the Executive Chairman.
Interestingly enough, when he was CEO of LinkedIn, the company grew from 33 million users to more than 690 million users and increased its revenue from $78 million to $7.9 billion, a 10,028% increase. Mind-boggling, eh?
4. Satya Nadella – 10,420,248 Followers
Meet the Chairman and CEO of Microsoft – Satya Nadella. Don’t know him? Yeah, me neither. He’s an Indian-American business executive who’s widely known for his constructive approach to employee mistakes.
He’s managed to lead Microsoft out of its difficult times after former CEO Steve Ballmer stepped down, and he’s a people-oriented person with great charisma.
His LinkedIn page is very simple, warm, and relatively short.
This means that, while he is a people person, he’s still conscious of his responsibilities and won’t waste time on unnecessary things.
His more than 10.4 million followers can read through his posts and share because he posts quite regularly!
5. Arianna Huffington – 10,224,226 Followers
Who hasn’t heard of Arianna Huffington, the founder of Huffington Post, founder, and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of over 15 books? She’s a well-known businesswoman, Greek-American author, and syndicated columnist.
Her LinkedIn profile page is super simple, not too lengthy, warm and inviting, and most importantly, focused on her professional expertise and achievements.
Many of her books are centered around social and political issues, as well as self-help books on various topics. Some of these titles sound interesting, I have to admit.
From what I understand, Miss Huffington is a pretty down-to-earth, grounded, and all-around nice person to be around with.
She’s also very focused on her career and professional success, and that’s something you can admire in anyone.
6. Mark Cuban – 7,692,596 Followers
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and one of the main “sharks” (investors) in the Shark Tank business reality Series, the man is a living legend.
He’s estimated at around $4.8 billion and he was ranked no. 177 in the Forbes 400 list in 2020.
On his LinkedIn page, he posts about climate change solutions, medicine-related breakthroughs, and crypto, a lot of cryptos.
AI is also on his mind a lot of the time, with NFTs creeping up in some cases. The guy seems quite open-minded, which might be the reason for his continued success as an entrepreneur.
Funnily enough, his “About” page simply says “I’m an entrepreneur markcuban.com“, which might show that Cuban is not too verbose and prefers action. Quite refreshing to see this, honestly.
7. Tony Robbins – 7,347,446 Followers
Tony Robbins, the way I understand it, is a philanthropist, best-selling author of self-help books, and entrepreneur. Who isn’t an entrepreneur these days, right?
Either way, his LinkedIn profile page is filled with self-help interviews, commentaries on lifestyle, business advice, insights into behavioral stuff, and even newsletters that you can subscribe to from the man himself – Tony Robbins.
He’s a motivational speaker, for the most part, and an accomplished author, so you must have heard about him online.
He has over 7.3 million followers on LinkedIn, so he’s quite popular. He’s also very good at business strategies the way I hear it, offering coaching sessions around the world.
8. Melinda French Gates – 7,241,983 Followers
Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates’s wife, is also a philanthropist, manager at Microsoft, and former multimedia product developer. She’s one of the most powerful women in the world, according to Forbes, and she’s worth around $6.4 billion in 2023.
Her LinkedIn page shows that she’s the Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Founder of Pivotal Ventures, and the author of The Moment of Lift book series.
She’s also an advocate for women and she posts regularly about women’s issues.
Other than that, she’s a relatively focused-driven person who doesn’t waste too much time on LinkedIn and instead focuses on her ventures and businesses.
9. Jack Welch – 7,161,745 Followers
Jack Welch passed away in 2020 but his LinkedIn account is still active so, although a bit tasteless, I’ll include it here since the account is still online.
Welch was a highly-acclaimed American business executive, writer, chemical engineer, and entrepreneur. He was the CEO of General Electric but he retired from leadership in 2001.
Historically speaking, Welch has an unmatched track record of success and has many achievements under his belt as well as a unique management practice he dubbed The Welch Way.
He turned General Electrics into one of the most successful companies in the world and his Welch Way was adopted by countless companies around the world.
One thing is clear – he will always be loved and respected for all he achieved during his life!
10. Simon Sinek – 6,705,408 Followers
Inspirational speaker and author, Simon Sinek are just as popular as any inspirational speaker could be. He’s what you might call a stubborn optimist who never strays from his bright vision of the future. Much better than being a pessimist, at least.
With over 6.7 million followers on LinkedIn, his profile page shows off his multilateral literary achievements, that is to say, his books, as well as his experience gained over the years.
He also posts from time to time (almost daily) about motivational things, lifestyle choices, mindset switches, and so on. The types of things that really get you pumped up temporarily, you know.
He’s a visionary thinker with a love for leadership, optimism, and teaching people the skills to maximize their potential. Quite a friendly guy, if you ask me.
11. Deepak Chopra – 5,818,837 Followers
Ahh, Depak Chopra himself. The man, the myth, the legend, the…quack doctor? Personal opinion, of course. Alternative medicine is not exactly the most believable and legitimate theory ever. Just saying.
As for the esteemed doctor’s LinkedIn page, he’s promoting his courses, and books, as well as posting about various Chopra-esque topics that may or may not involve quantum spoofs that sound about as reliable and trustworthy as the Flat Earth theory.
But that’s Deepak Chopra for you – garnering an incredible amount of attention and popularity through espousing deeply-aweing and “thought-provoking” ideas that are simply mind-stumping.
He does have a talent for attracting attention, I have to give him that. Charisma and rhetorical versatility are two of his most prized perks!
12. Daniel Goleman – 5,743,281
Daniel Goleman is a world-famous psychologist, author, and consultant for the Goleman Consulting Group. His LinkedIn profile page shows many posts tied to psychology and self-help insights from his findings.
He’s also a steadfast volunteer and board member of The Mind and Life Institute, where he organized and moderated dialogues between the Dalai Lama and some of the best scientists in the world. Quite the long resume on him, indeed.
His best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence, has become a staple in many universities around the world (at least this was the case when I was in college) and his principles are even applied in the curriculum for teaching future teachers.
13. Justin Trudeau – 5,525,797 Followers
Everyone knows Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister. He legalized recreational marijuana, established the federal carbon tax, and more. He’s basically what you might call a social reformist, among other, less favorable “call-signs“.
His LinkedIn page is pretty simple and straightforward, with some of Canada’s achievements being showcased in the form of articles, as well as Trudeau’s skills, education, experience, and more. The usual…
Trudeau has over 5.5 million followers on LinkedIn, most of them probably supporters of his social and cultural views.
His profile isn’t politicized with any controversial claims, as you might expect from a head of state, so it’s all good.
14. Gary Vaynerchuk – 5,439,323 Followers
You might know Gary Vaynerchuk by Gary Vee, the Soviet-born American entrepreneur, speaker, author, and internet personality. He co-founded the restaurant reservation software company Resy and Empathy Wines which has over 5.4 million followers.
On his LinkedIn page, you’ll find plenty of posts about his motivational talks across the country, his experience, education, and volunteering.
He also has quite a lot of recommendations from people who’ve been to his talks and praise his free-flowing, open-minded, and smart rhetorical debating style.
Gary Vee is… Gary Vee after all. We shouldn’t expect anything less at this point. There are also several newsletters you’ll see on Gary’s LinkedIn page!
15. Adam Grant – 5,121,781 Followers
You may or may not have heard about Adam Grant, psychologist and bestselling author who’s researching the science of motivation, rethinking behavioral patterns, generosity, and original thinking.
His LinkedIn page calls him the “#1 NYT bestselling author of THINK AGAIN, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife“. There are several of his TED speeches on his page, as well as posts that he shares related to motivational thinking.
He also has a few recommendations from fans who’ve read his books or attended his TED talks, as well as 49+ honors and awards that he has received over the years.
In his field, he is known as an organizational psychologist, which in short refers to the organizational individual and group principles that can enhance work efficiency and solve work-related problems.
16. Anthony J. James – 4,076,124 Followers
Anthony J. James is the CEO of Trinity Consulting, a firm that offers consulting advice to business owners on marketing issues and creativity/innovation lapses.
His LinkedIn page is a plain and regular page, with nothing too specific or unique, and if you don’t even know who Anthony J. James is, then this might even be boring.
Let’s just say that the guy has over 4 million followers on LinkedIn and a lot of experience. No, really, his “Experience” list is nearly limitless.
He has also volunteered on 6 separate occasions and he’s certified in multiple areas. Quite a brilliant guy!
17. Brené Brown – 4,045,378 Followers
Brené Brown is what you might call an everlasting scholar who’s always learning something new and sharing it with the rest of us.
Her give New York Times bestsellers on courage, empathy, shame, and vulnerability are an academic sight to behold, truly.
On her LinkedIn page, you’ll find various activities that Brown shares through her posts, as well as a resume of her experience, skills, and publications.
She also received over 7 honors and awards from magazines, universities, and even the Huffington Foundation.
Currently, she’s teaching at the University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin, as well as being a researcher in her spare time.
She describes herself as a “Researcher, storyteller, and courage-builder” on her profile page, which is spot-on.
18. Narendra Modi – 4,004,338 Followers
Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India, a controversial figure who has become incredibly popular in recent years.
He garnered approval ratings of over 78% in India and is the youth’s hope for a better future, the way I hear it.
His LinkedIn page is very short, simplistic, and humble, which is exactly what you’d expect from a man of action. And Narendra Modi is a man of action from what I heard.
Under his leadership, Gujarat won over 300 awards at the local and national levels, which is astounding given that the region was hit by a devastating earthquake before Modi took the leader’s mantle.
Many call him one of the most patriotic leaders to have ever existed due to his love for his citizens, grounded personality, and very tech-savvy individual who builds communities online. Wholesome to see, I have to admit!
20. Kevin O’Leary – 3,827,531 Followers
Kevin O’Leary, better known as Mr. Wonderful, is a Canadian investor, businessman, entrepreneur, journalist, and television personality.
You must know him from Shark Tanks or from one of the many TV shows he’s been on. He’s quite popular with investors and soon-to-be investors who are trying to get rich.
Mr. O’Leary leads the O’Leary Financial Group and, on his LinkedIn page, regularly posts about financial stuff around the world. Quite engaged with social media, the way I see it.
Other than that, a simple LinkedIn page with nothing too fancy or glittery. He is an investor, after all, so he’s not exactly too impulsive and showy.
20. Ian Bremmer – 3,808,131 Followers
Ian Bremmer is an author, entrepreneur, and American political scientist who founded the Eurasia Group, a political consulting firm, and risk research company.
They essentially help companies, hedge funds, and investors make sense of the world, socially and politically.
His LinkedIn page shows several articles posted by Bremmer on various social, cultural, and political issues that go on to offer pretty documented explanations. This seems quite interesting, to be honest…
Other than this, there’s nothing else outside the ordinary – just another important person’s LinkedIn page with a summary of his experience, skills, education, projects he’s worked on, and so on.
With over 3.8 million followers, Ian Bremmer is number 20 on our list and we’re done! I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of the 20 most popular individuals on LinkedIn.
See you next time!
Sources
- Data Reportal – Digital 2023 Deep-Dive: LinkedIn’s New User Milestone
