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LinkedIn names Daniel Shapero CEO as Microsoft doubles down on AI shift
Ryan Roslansky will continue his role Microsoft AI role as LinkedIn bets on insider leadership.
CALIFORNIA: Microsoft has appointed Daniel Shapero as the new chief executive of LinkedIn, marking a key leadership shift as the company sharpens its focus on artificial intelligence.
Shapero, a long-time insider who joined LinkedIn in 2008, steps up from his role as chief operating officer. He succeeds Ryan Roslansky, who will continue within Microsoft to work on AI-led productivity initiatives, reporting to Satya Nadella.
The move signals more of a strategic reshuffle than a traditional leadership exit. Roslansky, who led LinkedIn for six years and oversaw a near doubling of its user base to 1.3 billion, will now help integrate AI capabilities across Microsoft’s core productivity ecosystem, including its Office suite.
For LinkedIn, the choice of Shapero reflects continuity. Often described as “employee 300-ish”, he has spent nearly two decades across the company’s key functions, from sales and marketing to product and operations. As chief operating officer since 2021, he has been closely involved in scaling the platform’s business, including growth in premium subscriptions and advertising.
In his first message as CEO, Shapero emphasised LinkedIn’s core mission of driving economic opportunity, noting that the rise of AI makes that mission even more critical. He signalled a leadership approach focused on listening and learning, while preparing professionals to navigate rapid technological change.
The timing is telling. LinkedIn currently sits at a strong inflection point, with annual revenue estimated at around $19 billion and continued double-digit growth driven by AI-powered tools and advertising solutions. Microsoft’s broader strategy appears to position LinkedIn and its productivity suite as twin pillars of the modern workplace.
With Roslansky shaping AI strategy at the parent level and Shapero steering LinkedIn’s next chapter, the transition sets the stage for a deeper integration of generative AI into how professionals connect, learn and work.
The Roslansky era was about scale. The Shapero chapter now begins with a different brief: make AI central to the future of work.
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Reliance Retail FY26 revenue rises 11.8 Per Cent to Rs 3.7 lakh crore
Q4 revenue up 11.1 Per Cent, hyperlocal orders surge 4x, PAT steady
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail isn’t just ringing up sales, it’s ringing doorbells faster than ever. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) reported a steady FY26 performance, with growth powered by store expansion, a sharp surge in hyperlocal commerce, and consistent traction across grocery, fashion and jewellery. For the full year, revenue rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,70,026 crore. In the January–March quarter, revenue from operations climbed 11.1 per cent to Rs 87,344 crore, up from Rs 78,622 crore a year earlier.
Operating performance remained stable, with Q4 EBITDA inching up 3.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,921 crore from Rs 6,711 crore. However, quarterly profit after tax held steady at Rs 3,563 crore. For the full fiscal, PAT grew 11.7 per cent to Rs 13,842 crore.
Expansion remained a key lever. RRVL added 1,564 new stores during FY26, while simultaneously scaling its digital and hyperlocal commerce play. The latter emerged as a standout, with daily orders surging more than fourfold year-on-year in Q4, underlining a clear shift towards faster, localised fulfilment.
In grocery, large-format stores maintained momentum, aided by festive demand and the expansion of Smart Bazaar, which crossed 1,000 stores. Promotional campaigns such as ‘Full Paisa Vasool’ delivered record results, with sales rising 26 per cent YoY.
Digital commerce also picked up pace. JioMart added 5.8 million new users in Q4, nearly doubling its registered base year-on-year. Hyperlocal orders grew 29 per cent sequentially and over 300 per cent annually during the quarter.
Fashion and lifestyle saw steady traction. Ajio recorded a 23 per cent YoY rise in average bill value, while fast-fashion platform Shein crossed 11 million app installs, scaling rapidly with expanding product lines.
The jewellery business added further shine, with average bill value jumping 53 per cent YoY, largely driven by rising gold prices and sustained consumer demand.
Commenting on the shift, RRVL executive director Isha Ambani said hyperlocal commerce has become a structural growth driver, with orders rising more than fourfold over the year.
Looking ahead to FY27, the company is betting on technology to deepen engagement. The focus, Ambani noted, will be on AI-led merchandising, sharper pricing strategies and disciplined execution turning scale into sustained customer value.
In short, the carts are fuller, the clicks are quicker, and the next phase looks less about reach and more about precision.
