Microsoft announced a $26.2 billion acquire professional social platform LinkedIn. The transaction has already been approved by both boards, but it must still get regulatory and other approvals.
LinkedIn is keeping its branding and product, and it will become a part of Microsoft’s productivity and business processes segment. LinkedIn’s CEO Jeff Weiner will report to Satya Nadella. sers of Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM and other systems, it notes, will want to use LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator “to transform the sales cycle with actionable insights” — essentially lots of background information about users that can help find leads, open conversations and close deals. LinkedIn, which has more than 400 million members, acquired online education company Lynda.com last April. It rolled out a new version of its Recruiter product this year, which the company said increased membership, engagement and financial results.