Microsoft operates LinkedIn, which it acquired for US$26.2 billion in 2016.
Microsoft announced the acquisition in June 2016 and completed it in December of that year. LinkedIn remained a separate professional-networking service, while Microsoft gained a major platform for professional identity, recruiting, education, and business content. Jeff Weiner continued as LinkedIn's chief executive after the acquisition and later became executive chairman.
The deal expanded Microsoft's business beyond Windows and Office. LinkedIn generates revenue through advertising, premium subscriptions, and recruiting products. Microsoft also operates Azure, Xbox, GitHub, and the Microsoft 365 productivity suite. A common mix-up is to treat LinkedIn as a Microsoft-branded social network; it has retained its own name and user experience. Microsoft's market capitalization has made it one of the world's largest public companies, but that valuation is separate from the purchase price Microsoft paid for LinkedIn.