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Social Networks Businesses Microsoft

Microsoft Is Buying LinkedIn For $26.2 Billion (microsoft.com) 365

Microsoft on Monday announced it is acquiring LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, for a whopping sum of $26 billion -- or $196 per share, in cash. The transactions, the companies say, has already been approved by both boards. As part of the agreement, LinkedIn will get to keep its branding, and will become part of Microsoft's productivity and business processes segment. Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of LinkedIn, and now report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In a statement, Nadella said: The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centered on connecting the world's professionals. Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.LinkedIn has over 430M members on its network. LinkedIn's purchase marks Microsoft's 196th acquisition of another company -- it is incidentally also its most expensive purchase. Four years ago, Weiner laughed at the idea of a Microsoft buyout. Update: 06/13 13:31 GMT by M :According to Bloomberg, LinkedIn shares surged 49 percent in premarket trading in New York to $194.63. Microsoft fell 3.7 percent to $49.60.
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Microsoft Is Buying LinkedIn For $26.2 Billion

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  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:13AM (#52305759)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:18AM (#52305813)

      Less creepy? Try windows 10.

      • by raymorris ( 2726007 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:30AM (#52305905) Journal

        > Less creepy? Try windows 10.

        Just try DECLINING Windows 10. What MS does then is creepy.

        Okay, so the Windows 10 telemetry is creepy too.

      • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:59AM (#52306211)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Of course, the W10 telemetry is seriously nosey. But as this is M$ we are talking about, I ultimately cannot see them doing much useful with it.

          It's not what Microsoft willingly does with the telemetry data as much as what third parties can compel MIcrosoft to do with it. For example, even basic telemetry collects a list of applications and device drivers on a system, as well as the IMEI of any connected air card. I can think of cases where the list of apps and drivers may be evidence against a user in a civil or criminal case alleging copyright infringement or circumvention of digital restrictions management.

        • by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @10:07AM (#52306907)

          I ultimately cannot see them doing much useful with it..

          Who says that Microsoft wants to do anything with all that data . . . ? Maybe, just maybe, Microsoft is passing all this data on to some folks who CAN do something with all this data . . .

    • by drdread66 ( 1063396 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:28AM (#52305891)

      MS must just have cash to burn. This is one of the stupidest acquisitions I have ever heard of. Best I can tell, LinkedIn, serves most people as nothing more than a centrally-maintained contact list so they can find somewhat current contact info for former coworkers. Where is the revenue stream in that?

      Has LinkedIn *ever* turned a profit?

      Microsoft is rapidly devolving into the most clueless tech firm out there...

      • by Gr8Apes ( 679165 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:46AM (#52306063)

        This is one of the stupidest acquisitions I have ever heard of.

        Not at all, they get pretty much a real list of millions of people along with some real data. Far more valuable for MS than say FBs data IMNSHO. The bad part for MS? Anyone intelligent only uses LinkedIn as a public advertising board. That still doesn't diminish the value of full access to the data. I can see me adding all LinkedIn email to an auto-delete rule in the near future.

      • by aaarrrgggh ( 9205 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:49AM (#52306093)

        Their revenue is from a circle-jerk of recruiters. We placed a few ads with LinkedIn for engineers, but the results were miserable. Many of their problems can be fixed, but it doesn't look like that is MS's goal. This seems more like pissing away $25B, which is about what the drop in their market cap is equal to.

        • by tripleevenfall ( 1990004 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:45AM (#52306705)

          I have applied for and accepted, as well as been recruited for and accepted, jobs which I found through LinkedIn.

          That being said, the constant tidal wave of messages and requests to connect from headhunters when I am not in the job market is the reason why I never sign in to LinkedIn unless I am in the job market.

        • by mlts ( 1038732 )

          The thing about MS. If they have a revenue drop, they just hike the price for Windows Server and other enterprise grade items, and come out ahead for that quarter.

      • by lucm ( 889690 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:50AM (#52306105)

        Yeah they make about $300 million in profit every year. This means that by 2100 LinkedIn will become a pure profit machine for Microsoft. Those guys think long term!

      • by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

        Since Microsoft now have their hands in LinkedIn I'll plan to bail out of that.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by bengoerz ( 581218 )
        LinkedIn is a lot more than a contact list!

        For starters, it is becoming the best hiring tool on the planet. It's already strong, with 6.5 million job listings, and 94% of recruiters use the site. (source [expandedramblings.com]). But it is inherently superior to its competitors because recruiters can compare candidates claimed experiences with their professional social network.

        LinkedIn will beat Monster in recruiting for the same reason that Facebook beat MySpace. Even though MySpace, at one point, had more registered users th
        • by Luthair ( 847766 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:10AM (#52306339)
          So, have you worked for LinkedIn long?
          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by bkr1_2k ( 237627 )

            Google contacted me for an position based upon my LinkedIn profile. Several of my friends who have their own companies use it pretty much exclusively when looking for new candidates.

            I'd say there's at least a little validity to what bengoerz has said. I don't know how accurate the numbers are but it's quite clear that LinkedIn has growth potential in the area of recruiting.

        • by Lab Rat Jason ( 2495638 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:25AM (#52306493)

          The problem is that neither their claimed experience nor their professional social network are authoritative... both can be made up, and in my experience, LinkedIn is just a list of people who want to establish the maximum number of connections, regardless of the reality of the professional connection. I last signed in to LinkedIn probably 3-4 years ago, but when I was actively using it, it was easily 50:1 people who I had never met or heard of who wanted to connect with me.

          • by CimmerianX ( 2478270 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:31AM (#52306547)

            It works like this, a recruiter wants access to the HR or C level exec at a company. So, the recruiter sends out a contact request to the 300 employees of that company hoping that a few will accept. And of the Few that accept, there's a decent chance they have connections to real targets in the co.

      • by tsqr ( 808554 )

        MS must just have cash to burn. This is one of the stupidest acquisitions I have ever heard of. Best I can tell, LinkedIn, serves most people as nothing more than a centrally-maintained contact list so they can find somewhat current contact info for former coworkers. Where is the revenue stream in that?

        Has LinkedIn *ever* turned a profit?

        Microsoft is rapidly devolving into the most clueless tech firm out there...

        Linkedin makes a lot of money through job listings. It's very expensive to list a job opening.

        But no, Linkedin is not currently profitable. On the other hand, they have a lot of cash ($3.16B). and revenue is up 35% for the current quarter.

    • "Whatever M$ has ever touched, turned to manure in short order." Microsoft has a long history of managers lacking social ability. For example, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was often called Monkey Boy [businessinsider.com] because of his obvious lack of ability to understand other people and interact in a healthy manner.

      "... business ethics of Linkedin." It is interesting to me to see that someone else has the same opinion of LinkedIn.

      It amazes me how seldom people deal with the conflicts and try to defend themselves
    • by popo ( 107611 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:37AM (#52305981) Homepage

      Not just that, but how much more evidence do we need that *all* of these properties have limited lifespans.

      I look forward to the MySpacing of LinkedIn.

    • by c ( 8461 ) <beauregardcp@gmail.com> on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:39AM (#52305991)

      Seriously. Whatever M$ has ever touched, turned to manure in short order.

      Well, you can't say they haven't learned anything from their experience. This time they're skipping a step and just buying the manure.

    • Too bad MS didn't buy Yahoo at the time (Ballmer epoch). Yahoo was already manure before being bought, so maybe MS could have, for once, improved the new acquisition.
  • by ctrl-alt-canc ( 977108 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:13AM (#52305761)
    it will become LinkedOut.
  • by jbernardo ( 1014507 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:17AM (#52305797)

    I can just imagine how Microsoft will use this together with all the "telemetry" obtained via windows 10, swiftkey, code compiled with VS2015, skype conversations, office 360 documents, etc.

    So, I did the only sensible thing, and have just deleted my linkedin profile, as I had done at the acquisition time with swiftkey. Bye bye samaritan, you will probably still get my data but will have to try harder...

    • So, I did the only sensible thing, and have just deleted my linkedin profile...

      I'm sure it left no trace at all.

    • by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:37AM (#52305977) Homepage Journal
      You deleted your publicly available profile that you willingly posted? Why do people post public information on the Internet and then take it down? Why did you put it up there in the first place?
    • by mwvdlee ( 775178 )

      How do you go about actually deleting your linkedin profile?
      Best I can find is the ability to delete it from the site or to terminate an account, both of which would only make the profile invisible to end-users, but keep all of it stored in the database.

      • by CimmerianX ( 2478270 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:38AM (#52306617)

        Of course the info is stored.... do you think they would willingly let you delete the data that makes them valuable?

        Your Real Name, Real Resume, Real Job History, Real list of working acquaintances, Real Address, Real Phone number, and possibly Real Salary history is too 'mine-able' when added to the win10 telemetry, skype info, online 365 info.

        Now all that Real Data belongs to MS. And there's nothing you or I can do about it.

  • by justcauseisjustthat ( 1150803 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:17AM (#52305801)
    I'm hoping I'm wrong but every recent major acquisition by MS has been followed by a huge thud. But maybe MS will leave it as is and not screw it up.
  • Oh great (Score:5, Informative)

    by Yvan256 ( 722131 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:19AM (#52305823) Homepage Journal

    Microsoft buys yet another Internet giant.

    Excuse me, I have to go delete my LinkedIn account now.

    • Re:Oh great (Score:5, Insightful)

      by hodet ( 620484 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:34AM (#52305951)

      Why? Linkedin is probably your most scrubbed and polished version of yourself that you would post on the internet. If FB is a picture of you sitting in your underwear on the couch nursing a hangover, LinkedIn is you taking a professional photo wearing a tux.

      It is a place that you want the world to see and this deal will mean nothing to the users of the site. It may provide some enhanced tools (Office 365 integration) to buff up your resume, but I fail to see how it even matters otherwise.

    • by Luthair ( 847766 )
      LinkedIn was already the sleaziest company on the internet, why would you be worried now that Microsoft owns them
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Silicon Valley. Can we look forward to Remy the cartoon resumé leading you through your LinkedIn profile completion?
    • Can we please, please, please stop with the Clippy jokes?

      I get it, you used a computer in the 90's and therefor have street cred...

      The thing is, even at the time, Clippy was not that annoying. And anyone who knew how to install software, even then, could easily not install the stupid thing by doing a custom install and unselecting that feature.

      Clippy was annoying, but we see WAY worse stuff these days anyway.

      • by Junta ( 36770 )

        Clippy is a joke in part because it was annoying, but moreso in how it was actually pretty condescending in many ways toward the user.

        The described use case can strike people in the same way. Auto-suggesting guys on linked in who claim to have experience with what you are trying to do? It seems a bit silly in the same way that clippy's 'suggestions' were silly at the time, all while being condescending (unintentionally). You seem to be trying to project manage this... poorly, here's a guy who would be be

  • by H3lldr0p ( 40304 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:20AM (#52305833) Homepage

    Sure, Microsoft hasn't displayed any competence when it comes to creating or running a social media site, so what's the purpose behind buying LinkedIn?

    The data? The technology (wtf)? What's the move here, because I'm not seeing it. There's no obvious tie-in to the x-box. There's nothing to integrate into their OS or Office. Skype is dying on the vine -- and again, what's there to integrate into the existing software? Autopopulate a post to the professional dude-bro's hangout? What sense does that make?

    • by sinij ( 911942 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:41AM (#52306029)

      what's the purpose behind buying LinkedIn?

      MS is in a horsewhip business (Desktop OS and Office) and are trying to preserve the company. What else could they do but thrash?

      Enterprise tech is losing market cap. Console gaming never became profitable. Smartphone and search failed to gain any traction. They will keep doing these random acquisitions until something works or they run out of capital. Kind of like IBM.

    • Random mutation (Score:4, Interesting)

      by tomxor ( 2379126 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:46AM (#52306065)

      Microsoft's old business model doesn't work anymore... when that happens staying still === death, and trying new things costs money... however being Microsoft they have masses of capital to burn, so everything is worth the risk, so they do that (they try everything) this seems to have been their business strategy for the past decade... everything is worth the risk, they are basically too big to fail provided they keep trying things. It's almost like the random mutation component of evolution.

      The massive downside to this unfocused approach is that they appear to be flippant, inconsistent and undedicated to anything new they do. So even setting aside the many other issues people have against Microsoft such as undertones of malice and exploitation towards users, world domination etc, it makes their products seem even more undesirable.

    • It is a brand that helps them maintain relevance. Unfortunately, I doubt their plans to create synergy are anything I will like.

    • by Futurepower(R) ( 558542 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @10:17AM (#52307015) Homepage
      "What's the move here, because I'm not seeing it." I agree. Also, it seems that Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella doesn't see it, either:

      Quotes from Satya Nadella: [theverge.com]

      "I have been learning about LinkedIn for some time..." That's not the sort of thing to say about a $26.2 billion purchase. He learned for "some time"? No one else was involved? There was no detailed examination by many managers?

      Corporate jargon: [I have been] "also reflecting on how networks can truly differentiate cloud services."

      Corporate jargon: "I consider if an asset will expand our opportunity -- specifically, does it expand our total addressable market?" What is the difference between a market and an "addressable market"?

      "Is this asset riding secular usage and technology trends?" What?? I wondered if I understood the meaning of the word "secular". I did. It means "denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis". I can certainly agree that Microsoft is not religious or spiritual. Satya Nadella wants Microsoft to "ride trends".

      CREEPY: "...vibrant network that brings together a professional's information in LinkedIn's public network with the information in Office 365..." Wow! Microsoft will be watching what you type?

      VERY CREEPY: "This combination will make it possible for new experiences such as a LinkedIn newsfeed that serves up articles based on the project you are working on and Office suggesting an expert to connect with via LinkedIn to help with a task you're trying to complete."

      SCARY: "...new opportunities will be created for monetization through individual and organization subscriptions and targeted advertising." To me, that means that I should create an even greater distance between myself and Microsoft. I don't want to be "monetized".

      RENT ONLY? "...we have moved Office from a set of productivity tools to a cloud service across any platform and device." Translation: We don't want you to be able to buy our software. We make more money if you rent it.

      "... we can reinvent ways to make professionals more productive" They are already invented, but you will re-invent them?

      "reinventing selling, marketing and talent management business processes" Satya Nadella, why do you make wild statements with no specific meaning? (Also, no Oxford comma.)

      "I can't wait to see what our teams dream up..." Translation: At present, he has NO idea what Microsoft will do. He will wait to see. Dreaming.

      "A big part of this deal is accelerating LinkedIn's growth." Perhaps LinkedIn is at the END of its growth.

      Corporate jargon: "...keep the LinkedIn team focused on driving results..."

      " ...while simultaneously partnering on product integration plans with the Office 365 and Dynamics teams." So, the LinkedIn team will "focus" on two things at the same time? How will job-getting be "integrated" with typing a document? Will Clippy jump up and say, "That's boring! Wouldn't you like a better job?"

      "... we'll pick key projects where we can go deep together that will ultimately result in new experiences for customers." Apparent translation: We have NO idea at present what we will do.

      Corporate jargon: "... sharing our vision to empower professionals".

      My opinion: Satya Nadella, what you said above indicates you are not able to manage a company. Apparently you were chosen to be CEO because you were the least annoying candidate. The fact that you were chosen indicates that the Microsoft Board of Directors is not competent.
    • by swb ( 14022 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @11:37AM (#52307899)

      Combine it with Win10 telemetry and you have a huge datamining business with a really strong grip on a huge swath of the developed world's business data.

      I'd actually be kind of surprised if at some point there wasn't a national security conversation on the risks of this much power and information in the hands of one company.

  • by bayankaran ( 446245 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:22AM (#52305843)
    The problem is the price...$26 billion all cash deal!!!
    If i were dabbling in stocks i would short MSFT immediately. This is stupider than their NOKIA acquisition. Most of these companies are run by mediocre people with no imagination and too much money.
  • Worse than useless (Score:5, Interesting)

    by paiute ( 550198 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:23AM (#52305853)
    LinkedIn is a frigging joke. Maybe the intial idea was okay, but then they let any random idiot "endorse" you for skills. When I started seeing my connections endorsing me for skills they did not know I possessed I realized that I could no longer trust any endorsements for people I did not know.

    Now I just use LinkedIn to see what people look like, nothing else.
    • As long as a recruiter does not realize this as well, I'm totally fine with it.

    • by sinij ( 911942 )
      LinkedIn is a public resume. Just like you could be less than truthful with your resume and recommendations, you can be less than honest with LinkedIn profile.

      Just hide clueless skill recommendations on your profile. You can control what to display.
    • Since I'm retired, I volunteer with the Redcross, and have several contacts from the local chapter as "friends" in LinkedIn.. Since I do no IT work with the Redcross or these contacts, they would have absolutely no knowledge or reason to "endorse" me for any IT skills, yet, I got several "endorsements" by these folks for IT stuff.. Pretty much tells me this "endorsement" crap is totally bogus. Also when I retired, I decided I was done with MS products, after using/supporting them for close to 20 years, putt

    • Yeah, the endorsement thing is a little ridiculous, however, I thought that you had to first put those skills on your profile.

      I will personally never endorse someone for a skill that I haven't witnessed proficiency in first hand.

  • by Gumbercules!! ( 1158841 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:27AM (#52305881)
    The good thing about buying LinkedIn is you don't need to ask them to transfer any their user database over to you - you can just go download the torrent!
  • 60 bucks per user? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Hognoxious ( 631665 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:28AM (#52305889) Homepage Journal

    60 bucks per user? Speaking in a purely personal capacity, that's way over the odds.

  • by LichtSpektren ( 4201985 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:29AM (#52305893)
    Microsoft may as well have burned their $26b cash to keep some homeless people warm. It would've been a better use than to buy LinkedIn.
  • by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:33AM (#52305939)

    It might be time to close my LinkedIn account and get the flock outta there. I've pretty much avoided social networking - no Facebook, no Twitter, etc. - but LinkedIn seemed to be almost a necessity for job hunting. But I read recently that I'm already out of contention for most jobs anyway, because I'm not on FB, and because my online presence is mostly pseudonymous, which means it doesn't exist as far as most prospective employers are concerned. Apparently that's a real red flag for HR types. So I guess I'm hooped anyway, and dumping LinkedIn won't significantly hinder my already dismal job prospects.

    • Note that people without social networking profiles will soon become social outcasts denied jobs, water, housing and food; lets see how that works out for you ha ha.

      You have identified why Microsoft have paid 26 Billion bits of virtual paper for LinkedIn Soon no one alive today will be able to get a job without a LinkedIn account. And as we all know the future of capitalism is in selling you shit in the cloud. So Microsoft very sensibly just bought an access portal which is connected to every single useful

    • -- Microsoft is going for "Free as in herpes"

      I love your sig... I've taken to calling Windows 10 a CTD, a "Computer-Transmitted Disease" or "Windows NSA Edition", if you prefer...

    • LinkedIn seemed to be almost a necessity for job hunting

      Perhaps, if you want to work in really bad places. I've never had a LinkedIn profile (and the amount of spam that I get from them is enough to ensure that I never want one) and yet had no shortage of offers last time I was looking for a job. You might want to get someone who has been on the other end of a hiring process to look at your CV. Some of the ones that I see are truly terrible, yet people seem to think that they're sensible to submit for jobs.

    • Well, you're a cat. And everybody on the Internet thinks you're a dog.

      That's the problem right there.

    • by RandCraw ( 1047302 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @10:14AM (#52306987)

      If you want a professional presence that makes a difference, get active on github and post examples of your work: products, projects, utilities, documents, etc. Contribute to an open project there, even if it's just to clean up documentation (or add docs or howtos).

      Constructive examples of your work will say more about you to prospective employers than a LinkedIn e-resume ever could.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:39AM (#52306005)

    Lets guess: When you create an MS account, you are also included in the LinkedIn user catalogue. In due time, when you want to edit your profile, anything but basic edits will require an Office 365 subscription.

    In the Dynamics suite, it is not only about Employee Master, Customer Master, but also about the Organization domain: You will need to model your organization in a way accessible to LinkedIn, and instances of today's Dynamics suite will benefit from being able to do B2B better by getting direct access to the org structures, and signature rights, of people also in your business partner companies.

    Also, as Skype is not on the way up in hype, one also procures a user base for Skype.

    And, how will this work with Microsofts extensive 3rd-party strategy: I assume that to work with 'higher tier' 3rd parties, you need LinkedIn profiles for remote access. Furthermore, 3rd parties will be able to purchase access to organizational structures in LinkedIn.

    All in all, some parts are actually of benefit to corporations. However, this is also a way of getting organizations onto the higher end of the Microsoft agreement scale: Expensive, not necessary, but does allower less competent persons to administer large amount of users.

    This is not about technology. This is a quite clever ecosystem move, an art many of today's players seem to have forgotten. Imagine some next steps: Product promotion, sales, information from Dynamics instances, across the ecosystem enabled by the mesh of business users actually on LinkedIn. Microsoft does need to counter FB, Apple, Samsung, Sony and Ali, whom by them targetting B2C users is building a platform for going for the lucrative B2B.

    Signed, Lars Bratthall.

  • Data harvesting (Score:5, Insightful)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @08:53AM (#52306157)
    If there were any doubts remaining that Microsoft was pushing the Windows 10 malware [computerworld.com] upon the world for the purpose of starting up a massive data harvesting campaign, this deal with LinkedIn should put those doubts to rest.

    .
    The amount of data that Microsoft has purchased, and will be able to harvest on a continual basis, has just increased by orders of magnitude.

    .
    Data harvesting appears to be Microsoft's new strategic focus.

  • by 140Mandak262Jamuna ( 970587 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:07AM (#52306297) Journal
    It just popped up, "All the information in this computer is scheduled to be posted to LinkedIn in 10 minutes" and there were just two buttons "Do it now" and "Spam all email addresses in this machine beseeching them to join LinkedIn with more dire warnings".
  • I also found more am more odd that so many users have nothing to say in this kind of transaction.

  • by n6kuy ( 172098 )

    Time to unlink() LinkedIn.

  • by Z00L00K ( 682162 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @09:30AM (#52306529) Homepage Journal

    When trying to download my data from LinkedIn now I get "Maximum Transaction Time exceeded".

    I can imagine that there's a crapload of people trying to bail out now!

    • Three months ago I cut off a dating scam. It dawned on me that the only place the scammers would had seen any public profile was LinkedIn, which can be found easily on Google. So I promptly deleted my LinkedIn account, which has never been any value to me anyway.

      Seeing the mass exodus after M$ announced their acquisition, I am glad I had the foresight to delete my account before the "Slashdot" effect.
  • I suppose now, my LinkedIn account will be automatically upgraded to a 'Premium Account' whether I want to or not.
  • A fantastic purchase (Score:5, Interesting)

    by speedplane ( 552872 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @10:13AM (#52306967) Homepage
    I am shocked by all of the negative comments here. This was a great purchase by MS and I'm surprised they didn't jump sooner. Microsoft makes a huge chunk of its revenue from office workers. LinkedIn is the social graph of office workers. The two are a perfect fit with each other.

    Imagine office integration where you can easily share documents, send messages, and video conference among LinkedIn contacts. That's just the beginning, with a bit more work on the LinkedIn side, the social graph on LinkedIn could easily translate to the company's entire intranet, a public/private social network amalgam. Hope that MS is thinking this big.
  • by irrational_design ( 1895848 ) on Monday June 13, 2016 @10:49AM (#52307387)

    I am so grateful that I never created a LinkedIn account. I receive requests from people everyday to link in to their profiles, but since I have no social media accounts I've declined getting Linked In. But recently I've been thinking that maybe I should at least have a LinkedIn account for networking. Thank goodness I dodged that bullet.

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