LinkedIn: founders, history and what happened

Logo: LinkedIn, Public domain

Professional networking service.

Social networkRecruitingAdvertisingB2BMicrosoft

Acquired^{Source [6]}^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}Last verified Oct 2, 2026

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking service whose stated mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. It reports more than 1 billion members in more than 200 countries and territories.^{Source [1]}

It earns revenue from three main lines: membership subscriptions, advertising sales and recruitment solutions. Its pressroom reports $19.8 billion in annual revenue, more than 17,000 full-time employees and 36 offices.^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}

The company began in Reid Hoffman's living room in 2002, launched on May 5, 2003 and went public on the NYSE in May 2011. Microsoft completed its acquisition of LinkedIn in December 2016, and LinkedIn operates as a Microsoft business.^{Source [1]}^{Source [7]}^{Source [6]}

Daniel Shapero, previously chief operating officer, became CEO in April 2026, succeeding Ryan Roslansky, who oversees LinkedIn and Microsoft Office as an executive vice president.^{Source [8]}^{Source [4]}

What happened

Began in co-founder Reid Hoffman's living room in 2002, was incorporated in March 2003 and launched on May 5, 2003. It was listed on the NYSE until Microsoft agreed on June 13, 2016 to acquire it for $196 per share in cash, a deal valued at $26.2 billion. The acquisition closed in December 2016 and LinkedIn operates as a Microsoft business.^{Source [1]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [10]}^{Source [6]}

Timeline

2026-04Daniel Shapero became CEO, succeeding Ryan Roslansky.^{Source [8]}^{Source [4]}
2016-12Microsoft completed its acquisition of LinkedIn.^{Source [6]}^{Source [1]}
2016-06-13Agreed to be acquired by Microsoft for $196 per share in cash, a deal valued at $26.2 billion.^{Source [9]}^{Source [10]}
2015-04Agreed to acquire Lynda.com for about $1.5 billion.^{Source [11]}
2012-05Agreed to acquire SlideShare for $118.75 million in cash and stock.^{Source [12]}
2011-05Completed its initial public offering and listed on the NYSE as LNKD.^{Source [7]}^{Source [5]}
2005-01Changed its corporate name to LinkedIn Corporation.^{Source [7]}
2003-05-05Launched publicly.^{Source [1]}
2003-03Incorporated in Delaware.^{Source [5]}^{Source [7]}
2002Began in Reid Hoffman's living room.^{Source [1]}

Products and brands

LinkedIn: Professional networking site and app for profiles, connections, feed and messaging.^{Source [1]}
Talent Solutions: Recruiting and hiring tools for employers.^{Source [1]}^{Source [5]}
Marketing Solutions: Advertising products for businesses.^{Source [1]}^{Source [5]}
Premium Subscriptions: Paid membership tiers for individuals.^{Source [1]}^{Source [5]}
LinkedIn Learning: Online courses, built on the Lynda.com acquisition.^{Source [5]}^{Source [11]}

How it makes money: Revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising sales and recruitment solutions sold to employers.^{Source [1]}

Leadership

Daniel Shapero	CEO^{Source [4]}^{Source [8]}	Since 2026
Ryan Roslansky	EVP of LinkedIn and Microsoft Office^{Source [4]}
Jordan Levy	CFO^{Source [4]}
Erran Berger	Chief Technology Officer, Engineering^{Source [4]}

Funding and financials

Revenue: $19.8 billion annual revenue (fiscal 2026, per LinkedIn pressroom)^{Source [4]}
Acquisition price: $26.2 billion, paid by Microsoft (2016)^{Source [9]}^{Source [10]}
Revenue: $972.3 million (2012)^{Source [7]}

Notable acquisitions

Lynda.com^{Source [11]}^{Source [5]}	2015	About $1.5 billion
Bright Media^{Source [5]}	2014
SlideShare^{Source [12]}^{Source [7]}	2012	$118.75 million

People on Founded, and where they went next

1 person on record, connected to 7 other companies.

Person	Here	Also built
Reid Hoffman	Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Products, Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chair, Chair of the board2002 to 2016	Manas AI2025ActiveInflection AI2022ActiveMicrosoft2017 to nowIPOGreylock2009 to nowActivePayPal2000 to 2002IPOConfinity1998 to 2000MergedSocialNet.com1997 to 2000Status unknown

Sources

About LinkedIn, LinkedIn. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
A Fireside Chat with Eric Ly, Co-Founder, LinkedIn, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
About us, LinkedIn Pressroom. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn Corporation Annual Report (Form 10-K) for fiscal year 2015, SEC EDGAR, 2016-02-12. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn Corporation Form 8-K: completion of the merger, SEC EDGAR, 2016-12-08. Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
LinkedIn Corporation Annual Report (Form 10-K) for fiscal year 2012, SEC EDGAR, 2013-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn's new CEO says the 'best career decisions' he ever made were about the people he chose to work with, Fortune, 2026-04-23. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn, Microsoft, 2016-06-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn Corporation Form 8-K: Agreement and Plan of Merger with Microsoft, SEC EDGAR, 2016-06-13. Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
LinkedIn to acquire old school learning site Lynda.com for $1.5B, SiliconANGLE, 2015-04-09. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
LinkedIn to acquire SlideShare for $119M cash and stock, VentureBeat, 2012-05-03. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.

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