When movers and shakers join forces it’s always something to dive further into to see what it means for the future of our own companies. How will the LinkedIn buyout affect our lives as employees and business owners?
According to Time, this is one of the biggest and riskiest acquisitions in the history of technology. Now those are some pretty big words. This deal even tops Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp back in 2014.
Below we examine the far reaching effects of this buyout, what it means for their companies, and how this will affect the future of your business.
Was the Acquisition a Good Thing?
There’s a lot of excitement floating around about this deal. Especially because there’s little overlap between both companies. Internally, this means there will be little layoffs. Externally, there strategies, purpose, and overarching goals are in alignment, which could mean big things for the future.
Below we highlight a few benefits that CEO Jeff Weiner gave for the merger:
- Scaling the reach of LinkedIn by using the network to connect with over the 1 billion users who use Microsoft products.
- Transform the future of learning by integrating Lynda.com into some of the most popular productivity apps in the world.
- Expand the value of Microsoft by tapping into the area of hiring, motivating, leading, and managing employees.
- And much more
For a full look at the email sent to LinkedIn employees discussing the merger, check out this link.
It sounds really good on paper. Still, some skepticism remains. Especially, with Microsoft’s track record of big acquisitions like Nokia and Skype. Hint, hint they didn’t go too well.
How Will This Affect My Work?
It’s a little too early to tell exactly what new products and services will come to life, or how their existing products will change. But, we can still make some speculations. For instance, Microsoft Office could integrate with your LinkedIn profile, so it’s much easier and seamless to update your profile. Or, LinkedIn’s newsfeed could connect with your Outlook calendar to provide more engaging and relevant content.
The overlapping goals of both companies are to empower workers to create new opportunities and become more productive. We hope that having these two companies unite under a common goal will propel this mission forward.
Both LinkedIn and Microsoft are two commonly used solutions for business owners and employees everywhere. It seems they’ve truly cornered the market on work-based social media and productivity platforms. We can only hope this means big things for our future as employees and owners.
For those who rely on LinkedIn for lead generation and promotion, you can rest easy. One of the biggest pieces that got the LinkedIn CEO to agree to the merger was the guarantee that LinkedIn will remain independent and still retain freedom to operate.
We’re hoping this acquisition will only enhance the future of both companies, while making out working lives much easier.
What are your thoughts on the Microsoft acquisition? Good, bad, neutral? Please share in the comments below.
Written By Jason Brietstein
