Professional social network that earns revenue from subscriptions, advertising and recruitment products. Microsoft completed its USD 26.2 billion acquisition in December 2016, and LinkedIn reports more than 1.3 billion members.
Industry: Professional social networking | Location: Sunnyvale, United States | Founded: 2002
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social network and a subsidiary of Microsoft. It describes itself as the world's largest professional network, with more than 1.3 billion members, and earns revenue from membership subscriptions, advertising and recruitment solutions. Its newsroom lists more than 17,000 full-time employees and offices in 36 cities, including Dubai.
LinkedIn says it began in co-founder Reid Hoffman's living room in 2002 and launched on 5 May 2003. Wikipedia gives Sunnyvale, California, as its headquarters. It listed on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2011 at USD 45 a share, according to Wikipedia, which also records the purchase of Lynda.com in 2015 for about USD 1.5 billion.
On 13 June 2016 Microsoft announced it would buy LinkedIn for USD 196 a share in cash, a total of USD 26.2 billion, and LinkedIn says the acquisition was completed in December 2016. Hoffman, then chairman and controlling shareholder, called the deal a re-founding moment for the company.
Jeff Weiner was chief executive until 2020, when Ryan Roslansky took over. On 22 April 2026 LinkedIn named Daniel Shapero chief executive. Shapero joined LinkedIn in 2008 and had been chief operating officer since 2021, according to MediaPost and Pulse 2.0. Roslansky stayed at Microsoft as an executive vice president overseeing LinkedIn and Microsoft Office. Jordan Levy is chief financial officer, Mark Lobosco chief business officer and Henry Fong chief legal officer.
LinkedIn's newsroom shows annual revenue of USD 19.8 billion, without naming the fiscal year. Microsoft reported on 29 July 2026 that LinkedIn revenue grew 12 percent in the fourth quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, or 10 percent in constant currency. MediaPost reported in April 2026 that LinkedIn Premium had more than 175 million subscribers and more than USD 2 billion in annual revenue, and that registered users had grown from about 700 million to more than 1.3 billion during Roslansky's tenure.
Leadership
- Reid Hoffman, Co-founder
- Daniel Shapero, Chief Executive Officer
- Ryan Roslansky, Executive Vice President, Microsoft (overseeing LinkedIn and Microsoft Office); former LinkedIn CEO
- Jordan Levy, Chief Financial Officer
- Erran Berger, Chief Technology Officer, Engineering
- Mark Lobosco, Chief Business Officer
- Henry Fong, Chief Legal Officer