Microsoft set to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion

HUGE news today! Microsoft has announced that it is set to buy social network, LinkedIn, for a whopping $26.2 billion, a sale which will be one of the biggest tech deals in history, trumping the $19 Billion Facebook paid for WhatsApp in 2014.

Photo Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-microsoft-changing-way-world-works-jeff-weiner

Both companies’ boards have approved the deal but it still needs to go through a few more approval stages before the deal is final. However, if for any reason the deal falls through, LinkedIn will be forced to pay a very hefty $725 million termination fee.

In a letter to staff, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corp, Satya Nadella said, “Think about it: How people find jobs, build skills, sell, market and get work done and ultimately find success requires a connected professional world.”

So what does this all mean for LinkedIn and its 433 million users?

As a result of this new deal, LinkedIn will aim to: 

• Connect professionals and improve business processes
• Integrate professionals and business with a tailored newsfeed, which is based on projects relevant to each individual user.
• Suggest LinkedIn connections provided by Office.
• Integrate LinkedIn with current Microsoft apps
• Boost sales of Microsoft’s business and software
• Target the job sector (there are currently 7 Million active job listings)
• Share a sense of alignment between both LinkedIn and Microsoft 

This is a huge move for Microsoft and one, which will bring many new developments to the popular professional platform over the coming months. As always, watch this space for even more details of what to expect from the future of LinkedIn.

To find out a little bit more about this deal, why not take a look at this presentation deck. You can also find out about even more Social Media predictions here.  

What do you think we should expect for the future of LinkedIn as a result of this sale? Let us know your thoughts at @bcsagency