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Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

news.microsoft.com

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Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#371

Post by aleem »

etangent wrote: post #346
aleem wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To be honest, they're probably buying the users, not the product Couldn't agree more. LinkedIn has to be one of the most under-powered network out there. It's UX is still reminiscent of Orkut days. It's notifications and messaging system is the worst of breed. The network updates and posts on the "wall" are so bad that I stopped reading them years ago because it feels like spam. It prompts me every now and again to…

> It prompts me every now and again to congratulate people on job anniversaries--maybe people do that but it's a weak play when a company reaches to those depths. So what? Facebook prompts me to congratulate on people's birthdays, and Facebook is doing quite well.

> Facebook prompts me to congratulate on people's birthdays, and Facebook is doing quite well.

So What? :) Snapchat compels people to post videos of their cats and daily humdrum. And it also does quite well.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#372

Post by davnn »

joosters wrote: post #207
lloyd-christmas wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Large numbers of people in the tech community . Most people aren't us.

My dad isn't in the 'tech community' but he'll certainly remember the windows 10 upgrade as it broke his computer.

Did he consider going for a Mac then?

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#373

Post by alexandersingh »

etangent wrote: post #346
aleem wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To be honest, they're probably buying the users, not the product Couldn't agree more. LinkedIn has to be one of the most under-powered network out there. It's UX is still reminiscent of Orkut days. It's notifications and messaging system is the worst of breed. The network updates and posts on the "wall" are so bad that I stopped reading them years ago because it feels like spam. It prompts me every now and again to…

> It prompts me every now and again to congratulate people on job anniversaries--maybe people do that but it's a weak play when a company reaches to those depths. So what? Facebook prompts me to congratulate on people's birthdays, and Facebook is doing quite well.

Apples and oranges. Also, this has been a common spectacle for me:

Click here to congratulate Jill for reaching her ninth anniversary at Yoyodyne!

"..But Jill left that company 5 years ago.."

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#374

Post by SmellyGeekBoy »

arsalanb wrote: post #205
asadlionpk wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS is the same, I see "update to 9.something" everyday! Same goes for iTunes when you plug in your phone.

Any time Microsoft is criticized for making the most boring tech out there, and looking like an uninspired company, there's always one person to hit back at Apple (and more often than not, the iPhone/iOS)

It's almost as if most software sucks. I often wonder why people feel the need to give into their tribal urges and pick sides.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#376

Post by jonknee »

mrweasel wrote: post #132
laser wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they did do $3 billion in revenue last year. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=LNKD+Income+Statement&annual

Revenue isn't really relevant when you're losing money as fast as Linkedin. They have no real competitors, and they still aren't able to turn a profit. Even $3 billion is to much.

They're not losing money all that fast and are spending heavily on growth. They also have a lot of money in the bank ($3.1B in cash and short term securities) so that's pretty much exactly what it's there for.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#377

Post by GCA10 »

partiallypro wrote: post #99
ivoras wrote: post #11

Oh, I can just imagine how the process went at MS: * Exec A: Social things are Good (coming to the conclusion about 10 years too late) * Exec B: Shall we create our own Google+? * Exec C: No, that didn't turn out that well for Google. Let's buy something existing. * Exec B: Ok, I've Googled a list of top 10 social networking sites for sale, and ordered them by list price, but really we'll need to come up with a strat…

Twitter is the cheapest of the big networks. LinkedIn is entrenched in its market, unlike most of the others (including Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) Twitter I think would be a good buy somewhere, but Jack and his team seem inept and they probably want a massive premium. When I first heard the news it made no sense; but after pondering, I think I know what they are trying to do, and it does makes sense. Also, LinkedIn w…

The outer edges of Twitter's user base will frighten off most corporate acquirers. Too much ISIS; too much political screaming; and a user culture that doesn't want Facebook style barriers to R-rated or X-rated content.

Big companies hate to be caught in the middle of controversies. LinkedIn's content is safe to a fault. Buying Twitter and making it uncontroversial would drain two-thirds of the value right away. Maybe more.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#379

Post by criddell »

cmdr_plx wrote: post #364
criddell wrote: post #348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> LinkedIn is hideous, difficult to use, buggy, and creepy. If MSFT can fix a few of those it'll be a win. Have you seen Windows 10 yet?

I feel you're implying Windows 10 is not a well-designed OS. It's actually quite wonderful and usable OS, IMHO.

Well, it is buggy. Many of us feel that the lack of privacy options for non-enterprise users is somewhat creepy. And if you are the support person for less computer-savvy family members that have woke up to an unwanted Windows 10 upgrade, you will know that many people find it difficult to use.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#380

Post by lawnchair_larry »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #309
ivoras wrote: post #11

Oh, I can just imagine how the process went at MS: * Exec A: Social things are Good (coming to the conclusion about 10 years too late) * Exec B: Shall we create our own Google+? * Exec C: No, that didn't turn out that well for Google. Let's buy something existing. * Exec B: Ok, I've Googled a list of top 10 social networking sites for sale, and ordered them by list price, but really we'll need to come up with a strat…

I don't think Nadella understands either enterprise or consumer tech. The Windows 10 forced upgrades, privacy concerns, the milquetoast Surface sales, and the non-stop march of users shifting from Windows to OSX and mobile is a sign that he has no idea what he's doing. I suspect MS is destined to enter a Yahoo-like phase of remaining semi-relevant via acquisitions and legacy products enterprise finds difficult to mov…

Who is Melissa Mayer?
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