Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion

[LondonManc]

Bye bye LinkedIn.

Everything MS touches turns to processed food waste. Just look at Nokia.

To be fair, IBM were the ones that lost the office suite battle to Microsoft when they bought Lotus and forced LotusScript upon us. BASIC macros were a competitive advantage at the time for Lotus 1-2-3 as they were used a great deal by the now 40/50 somethings who had grown up with BASIC as an easy programming language, be it from school or home computers (BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, etc.)

I don't see what LinkedIn does any more, other than acting as a necessary evil when I go to market.

[scooterscot]

The number of people I see with premium accounts, and not just pimps, means it is working

Working for who? The technical experts it was created to service in the first place as a platform for exchange? Or the middle men. I suspect the latter. At its heart, exchanging, collaboration between experts will find another way when others try to slow progress for the sake for profit. It always does.

[tomtomagain]

It could be a very smart move on their part.

They now own a "graph" that links 500million people together.

I'm sure there are some huge potential benefits they could derive from that by integrating it into Dyamics, Office 365 and Skype.

They could easily turn Office365/LinkedIn/Skype into the defacto-toolset for companies who wish to collaborate across their supply chain for example.

[alreadypacked]

A bit like LinkedIn right now. Clearly the business model is failing. First lets turn the company public and cash in. Second, lets get folks to pay us so they can see who's been looking at their profile. Business model complete. Er but it's no working no-one biting. Doh.

What do you mean the business model is failing.
Have an idea.
Create a website.
Get lots of users
Sell it for BILLIONS.
Very sucessful business model, explain to me again how it's a fail

[minestrone]

Working for who? The technical experts it was created to service in the first place as a platform for exchange? Or the middle men. I suspect the latter. At its heart, exchanging, collaboration between experts will find another way when others try to slow progress for the sake for profit. It always does.

I read the funding pitch decks for linkedin once.

Getting a professional network to milk was their aim from day one.

[vetran]

Microsoft will simplify the user interface for the most common use cases.

Clippy : I can you are trying to get 2 references from Chumps, would you like help with that? I can take them from the user's slydrive.



Clippy : I see you are looking for pictures of hot recruitment agents. Try the new "Totty Button".


Clippy : I can see you want to see when your ex bosses get fired from their new jobs, do try our new termination tales feature.


.........

[MrMarkyMark]

Maybe they will change the name to Lynced In

[LondonManc]

Maybe they will change the name to Lynced In

Or LynchedIn: Mississippi Version

[scooterscot]

What do you mean the business model is failing.
Have an idea.
Create a website.
Get lots of users
Sell it for BILLIONS.
Very sucessful business model, explain to me again how it's a fail

Fair point. And here's me thinking there was a honest cause.

[LondonManc]

Fair point. And here's me thinking there was a honest cause.

It was - they honestly wanted to make as much money as they could. Don't tell me you work for free?