Scuttlebutt: Microsoft Was Once Very Close To Buying LinkedIn For A Couple Billion Dollars
Getty / Scott Olson
In the years before LinkedIn's 2011 IPO, Microsoft entered into talks to buy LinkedIn several times.
At one point the deal was close to happening for around $500 million.
Microsoft's last offer, in the months before LinkedIn's IPO, was somewhere close to $2 billion.
We're told Microsoft's (now departed) deal whiz Hank Vigil thought that was a price too dear, and refused to pull the trigger.
Vigil declined to comment, other than to say: "Good luck with your story." Thank you, Hank.
LinkedIn PR's response, to paraphrase, has been: Huh. That was a long time ago.
True!
But it's still interesting, right?
Anyway, today, LinkedIn is a $25 billion public company.
In some ways, it might still be a great fit for Microsoft.
New CEO Satya Nadella's whole plan is to re-shape the company around "productivity" and "the cloud."
Basically, lots of industries still happily use Microsoft Office applications, and Nadella wants to make those applications and a thousand more available on every device from tablets to conference rooms to phones, powered by Microsoft's cloud infrastructure.
It would make a lot of sense for your LinkedIn account to be your real-name user ID for all of those applications and services.
It would probably cost Microsoft at least $35 billion to make that happen today.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas