The fact is, Microsoft needed a content ecosystem. Buying LinkedIn gives it a lot of content AND a huge stake in the recruitment game which is a huge and growing market. The deal makes sense.
Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
141–150 of 859 posts
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#142Satya Nadella has made a bold final attempt to stop LinkedIn from spamming him
"Bill Gates is awaiting your reply."
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#143Oh wow. This purchase does not make any sense. What benefit does LinkedIn bring to Microsoft? Wouldn't surprise me another competitor will emerge and replace LinkedIn. It's time anyway with their annoying spamming of late.
Imagine you're one of the biggest companies in the world.
On from that imagine you could afford to buy one of the most comprehensive CRMs in the world and all the lovely data it holds. In addition to the fringe benefits, if Microsoft use this purchase intelligently they'll reap serious rewards from it.
(I fucking hate Linked In, but I think it's a legit purchase for Microsoft)
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
What market is exactly that? I still have no idea what Linkedin is all about. Edit: Yes, keep downvoting me, asking questions about LinkedIn clearly doesn't add to the discussion. sigh
Recruiting. It's huge.
Also just B2B sales in general. Anything that makes getting in touch with decision makers easier is basically a money faucet.
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
More like: * Exec B: Ok, I've *Binged a list of top 10 social networking sites for sale, and ordered them by price, but really we'll need to come up with a strategy first to make a good choice...
I think googling was part of the joke
I think he meant Bing gives poor search results, which is why they bought LinkedIn instead.
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not so hopeful. Given that Microsoft pulled out every dark pattern in the book for Windows 10, I can only think things will get worse.
Just because one team on Windows 10 made a huge mistake doesn't mean the entirety of Microsoft is full of people looking to fill the world with dark patterns. They employ about 50,000 engineers last time I checked...
I don't think it was a "mistake" by an isolated team. I don't think the Windows team would change that fundamentally Microsoft's core product without the management's OK.
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
More like: * Exec B: Ok, I've *Binged a list of top 10 social networking sites for sale, and ordered them by price, but really we'll need to come up with a strategy first to make a good choice...
I think googling was part of the joke
I didn't even catch it. That's how much googling has become a part of the language. It's been Kleenexed.
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unlike Snapchat or Instagram, which could very likely turn into MySpace 2.0 or 3.0, Linkedin is actually very entrenched in its market.
What market is exactly that? I still have no idea what Linkedin is all about. Edit: Yes, keep downvoting me, asking questions about LinkedIn clearly doesn't add to the discussion. sigh
LinkedIn is basically Facebook for white collar people.
It has a news feed, friends, events etc. But also has a jobs section. Given how ubiquitous it is every recruiter and sales guy is on there trying to push stuff.
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#149Is Jeff Weiner photoshopped onto the pic?
Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B
#150The comments here are hilarious, they really reveal the IT bubble.
The only real complaint about this purchase would be that LinkedIn was overvalued. And I wouldn't bet on that since Microsoft surely sent a big team of their brightest cookies to make a valuation of the company.
But other than that, LinkedIn fits: it is a corporate social network, if you will. I know that "corporate social network" is almost an oxymoron, but bear with me. It is social in the sense that users register and interact with each other just as on a regular social network, but ultimately the service is corporate focused. LinkedIn has created one of the biggest and best maintained databases of employment information (and of possible business contacts) in the world. As TheArcane said, LinkedIn is "Facebook + Monster on steroids".
If you don't believe me, try to speak to people you know, active professionals outside of the IT sector and see how many of them have LinkedIn profiles. Better yet, talk to people who are not in employer-dominated sectors (i.e. not like IT, where the demand for qualified workers greatly exceeds the supply).