3 scary reasons LinkedIn sold to Microsoft

LinkedIn is now "Microsoft-owned LinkedIn," a distinction that cost Microsoft just a little north of $26 billion. But why did LinkedIn sell after CEO Jeff Weiner had long touted it as an independent entity? Here are three reasons why. 1) LinkedIn’s stock was struggling. LinkedIn’s stock was down more than 43 percent since July of last year, and there wasn’t much reason to believe it would regain that value anytime soon. 2) LinkedIn’s ad business was slowing down. While recruitment services are the big sales driver, advertising represents roughly 18 percent of LinkedIn’s business, a significant segment that has been trending in the wrong direction. 3) LinkedIn’s growth was a concern. LinkedIn didn’t grow much in 2015 and it was a problem to investors used to more from the well-liked Weiner. The company continued to add more members, or people with LinkedIn profiles, but the number of unique visitors didn’t grow from Q1 to Q2 and then again from Q3 to Q4. Read the full story: (VIEW LINK)