Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#241

Post by yef » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:26 PM UTC

oblio wrote: post #150

The 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 oxymor…

"Corporate social network" is nowhere near an oxymoron. The value of strong and weak connections alike is critical to businesses and professionals.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#242

Post by mvip » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:26 PM UTC

Was this Microsoft's elaborate $26bn marketing plan to get the media to look away from Apple's WWDC announcements?

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#243

Post by kabdib » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM UTC

Too much money. Wayyyy too much.

And if this goes the way of most other very large MS acquisitions, it'll be utterly wasted.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#244

Post by swalsh » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM UTC

How does it work when a public company acquires another public company? If you have existing LinkedIn shares, do they get converted to Microsoft shares?... or do they just disappear one day, and a pile of cash takes its place?

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#245

Post by icc97 » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM UTC

janvdberg wrote: post #32

Add that one to the list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio... Looking trough the list this is probably the biggest acquisition for Microsoft (in monetary value). All-cash transaction nonetheless.

It's the 196th purchase that they bought at $196 / share. Somebody was having a laugh in the Finance department.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#246

Post by dragonwriter » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM UTC

davidiach wrote: post #230

Noob question: how can Microsoft buy LinkedIn given that large parts of it are owned buy random investors who might not want to sell? What happens to someone who, lets say, bought $10k worth of LinkedIn stock two years ago and has no intention to sell. Will that person be forced to sell his stock?

Generally, the corporation's internal governing documents will specify the rules for sale, but the norm is a majority vote of the shareholders. Those who voted against may have some remedies if the firm was undervalued, but, yes, they can be forced to sell stock.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#247

Post by neovive » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:28 PM UTC

I wonder what the future holds for Lynda.com which was just recently purchased by LinkedIn. I've been a member for years and was already concerned over the LI acquisition. Hopefully, they are not lost in the shuffle.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#248

Post by gz5 » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:28 PM UTC

LinkedIn + Skype + Yammer gives MS the best inter-business or B2B directory/identity/contact-ibility.

Extremely valuable for a company competing for inter-business collaboration.

Depending how used, of course.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#249

Post by koolba » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:28 PM UTC

I predict the next version of AD/Outlook will allow for direct integration between a company's workforce information and said workforce's public profile. Why bother with scraping your user's contact list when you can feed directly from the source system that already includes their name, email address, and job title.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#250

Post by SixSigma » Mon, Jun 13, 2016, 1:28 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #70

nevi-me wrote: post #7

I hope this will usher in an era of less unethical behaviour from the company under new leadership. Congratulations to shareholders. Anyone know why they'd negotiate an all cash settlement?

> I hope this will usher in an era of less unethical behaviour from the company under new leadership. /s ?

I'm still wondering which company is which in that.