In 2016, which tech company acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion?

In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion.

Microsoft announced the all-cash, debt-financed transaction on June 13, 2016, offering $196 per LinkedIn share. The deal closed on December 8, 2016, after regulatory approval. It was Microsoft’s largest acquisition at the time and was intended to connect LinkedIn’s professional network with Microsoft’s productivity and enterprise software.

LinkedIn remained a distinct brand rather than being absorbed into Microsoft’s Office division. Jeff Weiner stayed on as LinkedIn’s chief executive and reported to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. That arrangement helped preserve LinkedIn’s identity, membership network, and business model while allowing closer integration with products such as Office 365 and Dynamics.

The price is sometimes confused with later Microsoft acquisitions. Microsoft bought GitHub for $7.5 billion in 2018 and Activision Blizzard for roughly $69 billion in 2022. Facebook, Google, and Salesforce were discussed in technology and business-news coverage around LinkedIn, but none acquired the company.