LinkedIn is betting big on events as part of its focus on the creator economy.
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The professional networking site is planning to launch events featuring creators in the second half of this year, according to company documents seen by Business Insider. Over time, it wants to host as many as 4,000 events a year featuring creators.
A LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed the company has started testing paid events with creators.
“We’re seeing strong demand for tools that help creators build sustainable businesses and for members to have direct access to trusted experts,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to Business Insider. “And early pilot sessions this week with leaders like Cassie Kozyrkov, Codie Sanchez, Chris Do, and Lorraine Lee show strong appetite for this type of learning.”
The push into events is part of LinkedIn’s broader strategy to compete with YouTube, Patreon, and other platforms to court creators, especially for video content. LinkedIn already produces original shows featuring creators such as “Diary of a CEO” podcast host Steven Bartlett and “Real Housewives of New York” star Rebecca Minkoff.
It also comes as LinkedIn cuts its workforce. The company laid off an undisclosed number of employees on Wednesday and planned to cut investments in some areas, CEO Daniel Shapero wrote in a memo to staff. In a separate memo describing the layoffs on Wednesday, the company said it wants to move toward content featuring instructors that allows them to “license and monetize their teachings directly on LinkedIn.”
Paid virtual events led by creators represent a $5 billion industry this year, according to the documents that Business Insider saw. That number could grow to $25 billion by 2030, according to the documents.
LinkedIn already hosts some events, and its Premium Events generated $18.9 million between the second half of fiscal year 2025 and the first half of 2026, according to one of the documents.
To capitalize on that market, LinkedIn plans to organize gated events featuring 50 creators in the second half of 2026. Paid events will follow in late 2026 and early 2027, according to the documents, involving up to 1,000 creators.
Ultimately, LinkedIn could host up to 4,000 creator events a year, the documents say.
Initially, LinkedIn users could make a one-time purchase to get access to these events. Eventually, LinkedIn plans to introduce subscriptions, which would grant users access to a creator’s events as well as other content, such as newsletters and podcasts.
LinkedIn views Patreon, YouTube, and Spotify, among other platforms, as competitors for its creator-led event offering, according to the documents that Business Insider viewed.
LinkedIn believes it’s missing out on valuable content because “creators prioritize platforms where they can monetize,” one of the documents states.
Like those platforms, LinkedIn sees opportunities for creators to earn money, too.
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