Skip to main content

SEC filing from LinkedIn acquisition reveals five suitors

microsoft linkedin integration ms 2016 06 12 1 c
Microsoft
News of Microsoft’s groundbreaking $26.2 billion move to acquire LinkedIn last month rocked both the tech world and the market, but deeper details of the deal didn’t clear up until this weekend.

Documents filed with the SEC on Friday revealed that there were at least five total corporations interested in buying up the business-oriented social network. Of course the eventual winner, Microsoft, was one of the five, but the other four remain unnamed in the filings. However, Bloomberg has reported that Salesforce might have been one of the interested parties.

Aside from providing sparse information on the alternate, failed acquisitions, it also detailed how Microsoft and LinkedIn ultimately worked out the deal.

Last February, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner met to talk about how the two companies could act more symbiotically in their business dealings, and the idea of a potential acquisition was thrown around for seemingly the first time.

The thought must have stuck for Weiner, because he began meeting with other companies — which Recode has since identified as Google and Facebook.

Business Insider reports that both tech giants dropped out eventually — Party B (Google), preferred to pursue a commercial partnership rather than acquire it, and parties C (unknown) and D (Facebook) chose to drop out after finding the price tag would be too high.

Microsoft and Salesforce eventually entered a bidding war, with Salesforce pitching between $160 and $165 per share, half stock and half cash. Microsoft tossed in an all-cash $160-per-share offer, with Salesforce answering with $171 per share, again splitting it in cash and stock. Microsoft’s monstrous bankroll allowed them to offer $172 per share, all in cash, the documents reveal.

Microsoft of course ended up winning out, hauling $196 per share in cash at the company. If it ends up somehow ditching the agreement, the company will be required to pay a hefty $725 million termination fee.

Editors' Recommendations

Harrison Kaminsky
Harrison’s obsession in the tech space originated in his father’s electronics store in Denville, New Jersey, where he…
LinkedIn will tell you exactly how long your new job’s commute will be
linkedIn

When it comes to finding a new job, it's not just the work-life balance, the compensation, or the people that you ultimately have to take into consideration. It's the location, too. Now, LinkedIn is not only helping you build your resume and your professional network but is also serving as your mapping service. The company's latest feature lets you see the location and commute time to certain employers, which may just help you decide whether you want to be their next employee.

The feature, aptly named "Your Commute," has now been made globally available on the mobile version of the site, and provides location data for all businesses where LinkedIn already boasts location information, according to TechCrunch. Soon, the feature will also be available on desktop. As senior product manager Dan Li told TechCrunch, moving forward, Your Commute will be a factor when LinkedIn recommends jobs that you may want to check out.

Read more
Localblox data breach is the latest nightmare for Facebook, LinkedIn
what facebook users should know about cambridge analytica and privacy mobile v1

After Facebook found itself embroiled in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal that affected the personal information of 87 million of its users, the company is once again tied to another data breach. This time, Localblox is the culprit.

Like Cambridge Analytica, Localblox creates profiles of individuals using information scraped from publicly accessible sources, like social network profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Zillow. Localblox chief technology officer Ashfaq Rahman describes the process to ZDNet as creating transformative intelligence by joining bits and pieces together. A listing on Crunchbase describes Localblox as "a location-based social network that builds scalable neighborhood platforms, aggregating business profiles with metadata."

Read more
LinkedIn gives videos a makeover with filters, referral button for job seekers
linkedin adds video filters refferal button blog post 710x400

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is jumping on the video-editing bandwagon by allowing users to add new filters to footage shared on the professional-focused network. Inside the LinkedIn mobile app, users can now add filters or text, the company announced on Tuesday, March 20. The app update comes just a day after the platform also added a new tool for asking for referrals.

Read more