LinkedIn

LinkedIn began in co-founder Reid Hoffman’s living room in 2002. The company was incorporated in Delaware in March 2003 under the name LinkedIn, Ltd. and changed its name to LinkedIn Corporation in January 2005.⁠[1][2]

On May 5, 2003, LinkedIn.com officially launched; by the end of 2003, the company had 14 employees and more than 78,000 members.⁠[1][2]

In September 2004, LinkedIn began generating revenue through marketing solutions; LinkedIn Jobs, launched afterward, began generating revenue in March 2005, and its first premium subscription product began generating revenue in August 2005; in March 2008, it launched LinkedIn Corporate Solutions for corporate hiring.⁠[2][2][2][2]

Jeffrey Weiner served as interim President from December 2008 to June 2009, became LinkedIn’s Chief Executive Officer in June 2009, and joined the board of directors in July of that year.⁠[2]

In May 2011, LinkedIn sold 7,840,000 shares of Class A common stock at $45 per share in its initial public offering and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNKD, raising $353 million at a valuation of $4.3 billion. According to the prospectus, as of March 31, 2011, the company had 1,288 employees and more than 100 million members; the Class B shares held by co-founder and Chair Reid Hoffman would represent approximately 21.7% of the voting power after the offering.⁠[2][2][2][3][2][2]

On its first day of trading, May 19, the stock reached as high as $122.70 intraday and closed at $94.25, more than double the offering price.⁠[3][3]

In 2014, LinkedIn acquired Bright Media Corporation to increase the number of jobs on its platform; in 2015, it acquired the online learning platform Lynda.com, entering the learning and development market. As of its annual report for fiscal 2015, filed in February 2016, LinkedIn had more than 400 million members and was headquartered in Mountain View, California.⁠[4][4][4][4]

On June 13, 2016, Microsoft and LinkedIn announced a definitive agreement under which Microsoft would acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. LinkedIn would retain its distinct brand and culture, and Weiner would remain CEO, reporting to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella; both boards unanimously approved the deal, and Reid Hoffman said he fully supported it. LinkedIn then had more than 433 million members.⁠[5][5][5][5][5]

On December 8, 2016, Microsoft completed its merger with LinkedIn, which became a wholly owned subsidiary, and shareholders received $196 in cash per share; trading of LinkedIn’s Class A shares on the New York Stock Exchange was suspended and the shares were delisted the same day.⁠[6][6][6][6][6]

On February 5, 2020, LinkedIn announced that Jeff Weiner would step down as CEO on June 1 to become executive chairman and that head of product Ryan Roslansky would succeed him; LinkedIn then had 675 million members.⁠[7][7][7]

In 2021, citing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements, LinkedIn suspended new sign-ups for its LinkedIn app in mainland China and replaced it with InCareer, a simplified job-seeking app. On May 9, 2023, LinkedIn announced that InCareer would be discontinued effective August 9, 2023, citing fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate, with 716 roles affected; the company said it would continue to assist companies in China with hiring, marketing, and training abroad.⁠[8][8][8][8][8][8]

On October 24, 2024, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced its final decision in an inquiry into LinkedIn Ireland’s processing of members’ personal data for behavioural analysis and targeted advertising, finding that the processing lacked a valid legal basis and infringed the General Data Protection Regulation’s requirements of lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; it issued a reprimand, ordered LinkedIn to bring its processing into compliance, and imposed fines totalling €310 million. The inquiry stemmed from a complaint by the French non-profit organisation La Quadrature Du Net to the French data protection authority, and the DPC commenced it on August 20, 2018.⁠[9][9][9][9][9][9]

On April 22, 2026, LinkedIn announced that former chief operating officer Daniel Shapero would succeed Ryan Roslansky as CEO, with Roslansky remaining at Microsoft as Executive Vice President overseeing LinkedIn and Microsoft Office. Shapero joined LinkedIn in 2008 as vice president of global sales and later served as vice president of product, chief business officer, and chief operating officer.⁠[10][11][10][10]

LinkedIn’s mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful, and its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising sales, and recruitment solutions. As of October 2026, LinkedIn has more than 1.3 billion members and $19.8 billion in annual revenue, with revenue up 12% year over year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026; it has more than 17,000 full-time employees and is available in 36 languages.⁠[1][1][12][12][12][12][12]

LinkedIn: Official website: https://www.linkedin.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[2]

LinkedIn: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin (opens in a new window)⁠[1]