LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman Funds TikTok’s Labor Campaign for Reform
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman is among a group of Silicon Valley investors helping bankroll Labor’s digital campaign against Reform UK on TikTok, raising new questions about the growing role of social media influencers in British politics.
Labor has appointed FourOneOne, the digital marketing agency founded by the figures behind the party’s 2024 general election campaign, to provide MPs with communications training and influencer outreach. The company has been tasked with helping Labor politicians strengthen their presence on platforms such as TikTok, a group that increasingly sees it as important to reach younger voters.
Corporate documents show that FourOneOne has a minority shareholder, Estratos Digital, a Vienna-based digital agency founded by two former Hungarian Socialist politicians. Estratos itself is backed by Higher Ground Labs, an American venture capital fund linked to the Democratic Party in the United States.
Higher Ground Labs has received funding from several prominent tech investors, including Hoffman, Ron Conway, an early backer of Google and PayPal, and Chris Sacca, who has invested in companies such as Twitter, Uber and Instagram. The fund has poured tens of millions of dollars into tech companies designed to support progressive political campaigns.
FourOne One for Labour’s work has included organizing influencers’ access to press conferences and high-profile events such as the party’s conference, to give back on social media. The agency also provides one-to-one training for more than a dozen Labor MPs and runs extensive training sessions across the parliamentary group.
However, the company has attracted scrutiny following reports that it offered cash payments to influencers to post “progressive” content online. Investigative agency Declassified UK reported that FourOneOne is paying journalist Amun Bains £50 a week to publish at least five videos, with the potential for further bonuses, including content attacking Reform and promoting pro-Labour messages.
FourOneOne said the payments were part of its “Amplifaers” project and were not connected to the Labor Party. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor declined to comment, saying that plans with foreign contractors are confidential.
The organization is run by Nik Rutherford, a former music teacher and Labor councillor, and counts Assaf Kaplan, a former Israeli intelligence officer and former Labor official, as one of its directors. Its growing influence comes as Keir Starmer ramps up Labour’s digital presence, including launching his own TikTok account and publishing content on Substack.
Downing Street has also started holding forums and events aimed at online content creators. This week, Number 10 confirmed it will scrap its daily briefings for political journalists, replacing them with press conferences open to influencers and digital creators.
Beyond the UK, Estratos is involved in online political advertising campaigns across Europe, including supporting Rafał Trzaskowski’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency of Poland earlier this year. Higher Ground Labs, founded in 2017 by a former Obama campaign director, has invested more than $50 million in more than 65 political and social technology startups aligned with Democratic causes.
Estratos Digital, FourOneOne and Higher Ground Labs were contacted for comment.
