LinkedIn facts for kids
Logo used since September 2021
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| Type of business | Subsidiary |
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Type of site
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| Available in | Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Farsi, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese |
| Founded | May 5, 2003 Mountain View, California, U.S. |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) |
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| Key people | Jeff Weiner (Executive Chairman) Ryan Roslansky (CEO) |
| Industry | Internet |
| Revenue |  US$15.15 billion (2023) |
| Employees | 18,500 (2024) |
| Parent | Microsoft (2016–present) |
| Subsidiaries | LinkedIn Learning Connectifier Drawbridge Glint |
| IPv6 support | Yes |
| Advertising | AdSense |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | 310 million MAU (February 2023) |
| Launched | May 5, 2003 |
| Current status | Active |
LinkedIn is a popular online platform that helps people connect for work and career goals. Think of it like a social media site, but mostly for grown-ups to find jobs, share their work experience, and meet other professionals. It's used by people looking for jobs and companies looking to hire.
LinkedIn started on May 5, 2003, thanks to Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly. Over the years, it grew very quickly. By 2024, more than 1 billion people from over 200 countries use it! You can invite friends or colleagues to connect with you, even if they aren't on LinkedIn yet. The platform also lets you join groups, write articles, and share photos and videos related to your work or interests.
In 2016, a big company called Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. This was a huge deal at the time! Many businesses use LinkedIn to share their content and find new customers.
Like many online platforms, LinkedIn has faced some challenges. There have been times when user information was stolen because of security issues. Also, some people have criticized it for how it handles false information, especially during big events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries, like Russia and China, have even blocked or limited access to LinkedIn.
Contents
About the Company
LinkedIn was founded in Mountain View, California, and its main office is still there. As of February 2024, the company has about 18,500 employees around the world, with 36 offices globally.
The current CEO of LinkedIn is Ryan Roslansky. Jeff Weiner, who used to be the CEO, is now the Executive Chairman. Reid Hoffman, one of the founders, is the chairman of the board. LinkedIn got its start with money from several investment companies. It became profitable in March 2006. In 2011, LinkedIn started selling its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LNKD".
How LinkedIn Started and Grew
Early Years (2002-2011)
The idea for LinkedIn came about in December 2002. It was created by Reid Hoffman and a team of people who had worked at other tech companies. In 2003, a company called Sequoia Capital invested in LinkedIn.
By August 2004, LinkedIn had 1 million users. In March 2006, it made its first profit. The number of users kept growing, reaching 10 million by April 2007. In February 2008, LinkedIn launched a version of its website that worked well on mobile phones.
In 2008, more investment companies put money into LinkedIn, valuing the company at about $1 billion. LinkedIn also started opening offices in other countries, like India and Australia, in 2009. In 2010, they opened an international office in Dublin, Ireland.
Growth and Changes (2011-Present)
LinkedIn became a public company in January 2011, meaning its shares could be bought and sold on the stock market. When its shares first traded on May 19, 2011, they started at $45 each and quickly went up to over $94! This showed how much people believed in the company. By 2011, LinkedIn had about 2,100 full-time employees.
In April 2014, LinkedIn decided to lease a large 26-story building in San Francisco to bring all its employees in that city together. They started moving into this new office in March 2016.
In June 2016, Microsoft announced it would buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. This was Microsoft's biggest purchase at the time. Microsoft wanted to combine LinkedIn with its Office programs to help people connect professionally. The deal was finished on December 8, 2016.
After Microsoft bought LinkedIn, a new design for the website was launched. This new look was meant to be similar on both computers and mobile phones. Some features that weren't used much were removed.
In 2019, LinkedIn added a feature called "Open for Business" to help freelancers find work. They also launched "LinkedIn Events" to help people organize professional gatherings.
In June 2020, Jeff Weiner stepped down as CEO after 11 years, and Ryan Roslansky took over. In July 2020, LinkedIn had to let go of about 960 employees because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, there were reports that a lot of LinkedIn user data was being sold online. LinkedIn said that this wasn't a new breach but rather information gathered from many different websites.
In October 2021, Microsoft stopped LinkedIn's main operations in China. In May 2023, LinkedIn also cut 716 jobs to make its business run more smoothly.
In September 2024, LinkedIn paused using data from its UK users to train its AI models. This happened after concerns were raised by the Information Commissioner's Office. LinkedIn said it always lets users control their data and now offers an easy way for UK users to opt out.
Companies LinkedIn Has Bought
LinkedIn has bought many other companies over the years to add new features and services to its platform. For example, in 2012, it bought SlideShare, which lets people share presentations. In 2015, it bought Lynda.com, an online learning platform, for $1.5 billion, which became LinkedIn Learning. These purchases helped LinkedIn offer more tools for career development and learning.
How LinkedIn Works
Your Profile and Connections
The main part of LinkedIn is your profile. It's like an online resume where you can list your work experience, education, skills, and a photo. Companies can post job openings, and you can search for jobs that fit your skills. You can also save jobs you're interested in and follow companies.
On LinkedIn, you "connect" with other people. These connections are like your professional friends. When you connect with someone, they become a "first-degree connection." Their connections are your "second-degree connections," and so on. This helps you find people you might know or want to meet through your network.
LinkedIn also lets you interact with others by "liking" their posts, congratulating them on achievements, or sending direct messages. You can also share videos, write posts, and even publish articles on the platform.
Since 2012, LinkedIn has a feature where people can "endorse" your skills. This means someone can say you are good at a certain skill, like "public speaking" or "teamwork."
Mobile App
LinkedIn has a mobile app that works on phones and tablets. It was launched in 2008 and is available in many languages. This makes it easy to use LinkedIn on the go.
Groups
LinkedIn has many groups that people can join based on their interests or professions. For example, there might be a group for "young coders" or "future scientists." In these groups, members can discuss topics, share ideas, and ask questions. Groups can be private or open to everyone. They help members stay updated on discussions in their professional areas.
How People Use LinkedIn
Building Your Personal Brand
LinkedIn is great for building your "personal brand." This means showing off your unique skills and what makes you special to help you find career opportunities. It's like creating an online image of yourself as a professional.
The site encourages users to add enough information to their profile so that it can be easily found by search engines like Google. Joining professional groups and adding videos to your profile can also help. Many people even hire professional photographers for their profile pictures!
LinkedIn also has a program called "LinkedIn Influencers." These are important leaders from different fields, like Richard Branson or Bill Gates, who share their ideas and insights on the platform.
Finding Jobs
LinkedIn is widely used by people looking for jobs and by companies looking to hire. It has become a top place for professionals to connect online. In Australia, for example, 10 million out of 12 million working professionals are on LinkedIn, meaning your future employer might be there!
Many people have found jobs through LinkedIn. One estimate says that 122 million users got job interviews, and 35 million were hired through their LinkedIn connections.
You can also research companies on LinkedIn. By typing a company's name, you can find information like how many employees they have, where their offices are, and who works there. In 2011, LinkedIn added an "Apply with LinkedIn" button, allowing people to use their LinkedIn profiles as resumes when applying for jobs.
LinkedIn also has a service called Profinder, where freelancers can find projects and small businesses can find people to hire for specific tasks.
Top Companies and Voices
LinkedIn publishes lists like "LinkedIn Top Companies," which show which companies are most popular among job seekers in different countries. These lists are based on how LinkedIn members interact with companies on the platform. For example, in 2021, Amazon was ranked as a top company, followed by Alphabet (Google's parent company) and JPMorgan & Chase Co..
Since 2015, LinkedIn also recognizes "Top Voices" – members who create engaging posts and discussions on the platform. These lists highlight people who are great at sharing their professional insights.
Advertising on LinkedIn
Companies can pay LinkedIn to show their advertisements to users. This is a common way for social media sites to make money. LinkedIn offers different types of ads, like "Sponsored Updates," where companies pay to have their content shared widely, and "carousel ads," which let businesses show off products with multiple images.
In 2022, LinkedIn launched "Business Manager," a tool to help large companies and agencies manage their ads and business pages more easily.
Connecting the World's Economy
LinkedIn's CEO, Jeff Weiner, had a big goal in 2012: to create an "economic graph." This is like a huge digital map of the world's economy. It would include all jobs, skills, companies, and educational places. The idea is to make it easier for people to find jobs and for companies to find the right talent, making the job market more efficient.
LinkedIn uses this "economic graph" data to share interesting facts about the job market, like where recent college graduates move or which areas have many tech jobs.
LinkedIn's Role in Networking
Many experts say LinkedIn is the best tool for professional networking. It helps people build business relationships online. It's not just for finding jobs; it's also for connecting with others in your field and learning from them.
International Rules
Some countries have rules about how online companies can store and use user data. Because of these rules, LinkedIn has faced restrictions in certain places.
For example, in 2016, a court in Moscow ruled that LinkedIn had to be blocked in Russia because it didn't store Russian citizens' data on servers inside Russia. This ban was upheld, and LinkedIn's mobile app was also removed from app stores in Russia. In 2021, it was also blocked in Kazakhstan.
In October 2021, Microsoft announced that LinkedIn would stop its main operations in China. This was due to difficulties in following China's rules. Instead, they launched a different app called InJobs, which was only for China. However, in May 2023, LinkedIn announced that InJobs would also be phased out.
Images for kids
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Former LinkedIn headquarters on Stierlin Court in Mountain View, California
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LinkedIn office building at 222 Second Street in San Francisco (opened in March 2016)
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LinkedIn office in Toronto inside the Toronto Eaton Centre
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LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, California
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Social media websites may also use "traditional" marketing approaches, as seen in these LinkedIn-branded chocolates.
See also
In Spanish: LinkedIn para niños
