In what year did Microsoft acquire LinkedIn?

Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016. Microsoft announced the deal on June 13, 2016, agreeing to buy the professional-networking company for approximately $26.2 billion in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition was completed on December 8, 2016.

LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and launched publicly in 2003 as a service for professional identities, career networking, recruiting, and business relationships. By the time of Microsoft’s offer, it had become one of the world’s best-known professional social networks, with a large membership base and valuable data about jobs, skills, companies, and industry connections.

Microsoft said LinkedIn would retain its brand, culture, and independence while gaining access to Microsoft’s cloud, productivity, and enterprise technologies. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman supported the transaction, and Jeff Weiner continued as LinkedIn’s chief executive after the deal. The purchase became one of Microsoft’s largest acquisitions.

Readers sometimes confuse the announcement date with the closing date: both belong to 2016, so the quiz answer remains 2016 either way. The deal also predates Microsoft’s acquisition of GitHub, which was announced in 2018 and completed later that year.