Left to right: Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn; Satya Nadella, Microsoft; Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn - Photo: Microsoft
Hopes are high in the c-suites of Microsoft and LinkedIn following the announcement the tech giant has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the social media network for $26.2 billion.
In a memo to internal staff (via The Verge), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella suggested that LinkedIn will one day provide users of Office 365 and Dynamics with access to content and experts that will help them improve results on projects and, over time, at an organizational level.
The connection between the two companies is expected to lead to increased growth and advertising opportunities for LinkedIn while enhancing the value of Microsoft’s cloud-based suite of apps.
Mr. Nadella expressed confidence that similar cultures at Microsoft and LinkedIn would play a significant role in the success of the companies going forward. LinkedIn will remain independent, with Jeff Weiner remaining as CEO.
“This approach is designed to keep the LinkedIn team focused on driving results while simultaneously partnering on product integration plans with the Office 365 and Dynamics teams,” wrote Mr. Nadella. “During the integration, we'll pick key projects where we can go deep together that will ultimately result in new experiences for customers.”