LinkedIn officially launched as a professional networking website on May 5, 2003.
The service was founded by Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly and Jean-Luc Vaillant. Its initial purpose was to help people maintain professional relationships online, making it different from social networks centered mainly on personal updates or entertainment.
LinkedIn grew gradually rather than becoming an overnight mass-market hit. It introduced business-focused features such as profiles, connections, recommendations, recruiting tools and paid subscriptions. These products helped turn a network of professional identities into a business platform.
Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire LinkedIn in 2016. The transaction was completed later that year, and LinkedIn continued operating as a separate brand. The launch date is sometimes confused with LinkedIn’s incorporation or with its 2011 initial public offering, which occurred several years after the website began.