Microsoft -- has done a mega deal. It's buying the world's largest professional network LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash. The offer of $196 per share means an almost 50% premium to LinkedIn's Friday closing price--that's why Linkedin shares have soared by just as much.
Linkedin has 433 million members around the world, and has seen more membership growth as well as engagement in the past year. Although it isn't making a profit under GAAP, its operating cashflow is at a record high.
I spoke to industry experts about the deal, they say Microsoft hopes to use the deal to give more value to enterprise professionals, combining Linkedin's entreprise social tool with office 365's cloud based collaboration platform. Jeff Weiner will stay on as CEO and report to Microsoft CEO Satya nadella. The deal is expected to close this year.