Huge news! Microsoft has placed a bid to acquire LinkedIn for a whopping $26.2 billion. Fasten your seat belts it’s about to get a lot more interesting!
This move signifies a major change for the giant software company which saw its business model shifting from technology and hardware, to licensing and, most recently, to cloud computing and social networking.
And it’s the latter two that Satya Natela, Microsoft’s CEO, would probably want to focus on. With more than 400 million members, LinkedIn offers a prime opportunity for Microsoft to expand its Office 365 suite and integrate its tools into a platform featuring a predominantly professional user-base. Let’s not forget that Microsoft has already invested in Facebook, which brought Bing maps and Skype integration to the platform.
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Moreover, the acquisition provides Microsoft with an opportunity to get into the world of social networking, as its past attempts with Yammer were not that successful. This time, and if the sale goes ahead, LinkedIn is expected to operate independently, maintaining its current mission and structure.
This is a developing story. We will add more info as soon as it becomes available.
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