Which company bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016?

Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016.

Microsoft announced the acquisition of LinkedIn in June 2016, agreeing to pay $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $26.2 billion. The deal closed in December 2016 after approval by LinkedIn stockholders and regulators.

LinkedIn was founded in 2003 as a professional networking service. Its platform allows members to maintain career profiles, connect with professional contacts, recruit employees, publish material, and search for jobs. Microsoft kept LinkedIn operating as a separate brand and service after the acquisition.

The purchase strengthened Microsoft’s business-software and professional-networking portfolio. It is distinct from Salesforce’s proposed $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, which closed in 2021, and from Microsoft’s later acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The announced LinkedIn price is usually given as $26.2 billion, though the exact accounting value can differ from the headline transaction value.