Microsoft, one of the world's largest companies by market cap, acquired LinkedIn in 2016.
Microsoft announced the acquisition in June 2016 and completed it in December of that year. The all-cash transaction was valued at approximately $26.2 billion, making it one of Microsoft's largest acquisitions. LinkedIn continued operating as a separate brand and service under Microsoft ownership.
LinkedIn was founded in 2003 as a professional networking website. Its members use the platform for résumés, recruitment, business connections, job listings, and professional publishing. The purchase is sometimes confused with Microsoft's acquisition of GitHub, which was announced in 2018 and completed later that year.