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Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

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Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#701

Post by r2dnb »

simonswords82 wrote: post #548
beagle3 wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've made this comment more than once on this thread. Microsoft employs many people, but it is hierarchily managed. Things like the Windows 10 dark patterns might happen, but once the users complain (and users have been complaining since the day win 10 was out, when the patterns weren't nearly as dark), someone with veto power gets involved. This was definitely done with the approval - and I guess blessing and even…

I just don't see it. I don't see something this low level spun up to board level. I'm also not sure what "new Microsoft" you're referring to. Their attitude is much much better under Satya; they're not perfect but they're moving in the right direction. The board level may very well have set down a strategy which was "Hey, computers that are running old versions of our OS are a real pain. Let's tell our OS team that w…

We're not talking about the "upgrade to Windows 10 update", but about the routine updates that are pushed to your Windows 10 system at random times without your consent.

You also overlook that very often, once these updates are applied you can notice that new applications as essential as "Candy Crush Saga" have been installed on your system. I guess the "technical peeps" you mention thought users would enjoy the game and just pushed it to the release binary.

Irony aside, why do you persist to try to defend what is indefensible ? I am a .NET developer and the first to acknowledge and evangelize the existence of a new Microsoft. But the way they have turned Windows 10 into a malware is unacceptable.

Personally I have made my mind that as soon as .NET Core is mature I am switching to Linux. As much as I like Microsoft I can't accept to run this kind of system, they have crossed a line here.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#702

Post by btown »

argonaut wrote: post #187
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…

Exactly. I had LinkedIn on my list of undervalued tech stocks, and I think this bears that out. LinkedIn has absolutely no competition. LinkedIn is the world's biggest, virtually-complete graph of most enterprise organizational charts / structures. That alone will be valuable for Microsoft's enterprise business.

It's actually a brilliant synergy. LinkedIn was limited to a revenue model around HR, recruiters, and individuals buying subscriptions to different views of their core service. They weren't in the business of building CRMs, enterprise email solutions, or operating systems. And yet those very systems are the ones where people most natively would want to ask "what is the context and history of the person I'm connecting to?"

Beyond the expansion in potential revenue models, it's rational for Microsoft to spend their cash on things that cement their dominance in the workplace, particularly as Apple and Google could always choose to make a hard push into that space. Assuming LinkedIn continues to dominate as a professional network, Windows 15 Powered By LinkedIn is a hell of a moat to cross.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#703

Post by nxzero »

phamilton wrote: post #577
nxzero wrote: post #288

Seems grossly over priced on a per active user basis: ________ 26.2 billion / (425 million*25% active) = $247 per active user

Is that 25% active an estimate or a reported number?

The source for the 25% of users being active in a month was from the 3rd quarter earnings report for 2015.

http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/29/linkedin-now-has-400m-user...

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#704

Post by opticalflow »

opticalflow wrote: post #330
elcapitan wrote: post #51

"Your career doesn't seem to respond anymore. Do you want to restart it now?"

WOW, well-played, sir, very well played indeed. I may have to steal your snark.

While the downvotes are cute, why punish giving credit where credit is due? I thought their quote was very clever, and worthy of drawing attention to. Just saying.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#705

Post by redwards510 »

bogomipz wrote: post #334
kozhevnikov wrote: post #43

LinkedIn owns Lynda, but Microsoft (MSDN) partnered with Pluralsight, interesting how that will play out.

Well both of those are underwhelming in terms of both content and user experience.

If you know of a better resource for software development training materials, please name it so I can make my employer pay for it.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#706

Post by mathattack »

This makes a ton of sense for everyone. LinkedIn is too small to be a dominant platform like Google or Facebook. If someone were to buy it, it would be someone with a strong enterprise presence, with an incomplete social footprint. It would also need to be a company with a high enough market cap to afford the purchase, and PE ratio for it to appear dilutive.

Who fits the profile?

- IBM - They are in share buyback mode, not major purchases

- Oracle - Social may not matter to them

- SAP - Too many issues from prior acquisitions

- HP - Splitting, but building

Microsoft is the ideal buyer.

The key is integration. Microsoft doesn't have a great history for integration, but that was also under the prior regime.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#707

Post by petersellers »

bduerst wrote: post #490
mrweasel wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It think the negativity is mostly due to the price tag. If I was a shareholder I would be furious over Microsoft paying $26billion for a money losing company. Even if Microsoft see some potential the rest of us aren't, and we have to assume that they are, they still need to find a way to turn a profit on the deal. Given that they bought Nokia, only to shut it down, more or less, it would be reasonable for the shareho…

Yeah, even assuming Microsoft cuts losses and makes the company profitable again through some product integrations, it's still a huge price tag. LinkedIn has stalled growth and brought in $2.9 billion in rev last year, which means that all things constant it will take nine years to cover the $26 B price tag. Microsoft must really have some big plans for it to justify the costs.

With all things constant it will take a lot more than 9 years. The 2.9 billion in revenue doesn't account for the costs of running their business. Microsoft would need to make 26 billion in profit to cover the price tag.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#708

Post by bduerst »

partiallypro wrote: post #512
bduerst wrote: post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure how you're equating cookie-level tracking to being more invasive than OS-level tracking. At least with a browser client you have control over how you're traced on the web. With the OS (that you paid for), you're forced to install some third party software and give it admin access. That's not a security problem waiting to happen at all.

> That's not a security problem waiting to happen at all. You're right, it's not. > I'm not sure how you're equating cookie-level tracking to being more invasive than OS-level tracking. Google does far more than cookie level tracking. What do you think Google Now use? Magic?

You're not making any sense - you're claiming Google tracking is magic? Google, Facebook, or any other website doesn't get OS-level tracking, and are stopped cold by a generic adblocker.

Blocking OS-level tracking is a security issue because the third party software can be bought and sold to malware companies, who can push an update to infect your computer.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#709

Post by tedmiston »

vtlynch wrote: post #684
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…

Here is the main problem: Who likes LinkedIn? Sure, we can debate its usefulness, how popular it is outside of IT, etc. But I think across the board, no one LIKES LinkedIn.

It seems like recruiters do.

Obviously most engineers don't.

Re: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26B

#710

Post by marssaxman »

grandalf wrote: post #658

The biggest thing hampering LinkedIn's growth has been such a strong tech market. This is also why many HN readers are not familiar with it. When the market is strong, those with technology skills can find work in a few hours without using any platform. But if the market dips, things like LinkedIn's recommendations will become useful and relevant. Less so for technology workers than for those with softer skills, but…

Not familiar with it? LinkedIn has been working their evil magic for so many years it's hard to imagine how you could be involved in the tech industry at all without having had to fend off at least a little bit of their bullshit. I am totally familiar with them, having ground my way through the process that eventually stops their relentless flow of content-free nag mail, and my feelings can be described in a single word: contempt.
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