Every day, more than 1.3 billion professionals around the world open LinkedIn to look for jobs, hire talent, share ideas, and build their careers. It is the largest professional network ever created — bigger than the entire population of any country except China and India. But most people who use it every day have no idea who actually owns it. The answer is Microsoft. And the story of how one of the world’s most valuable tech companies came to own the world’s most powerful professional network is one of the smartest acquisitions in corporate history.
What Is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform. LinkedIn is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) with over 1.2 billion members across 200+ countries. It shapes how people find jobs, how recruiters source talent, how B2B marketers reach decision-makers, and how professionals build their public identities.
Beyond networking, LinkedIn has grown into a full business ecosystem — offering job listings, online learning through LinkedIn Learning, recruitment tools, sales intelligence software, and a rapidly growing AI-powered career coaching platform that is already changing how people navigate the workforce.
Who Owns LinkedIn Right Now in 2026?
The direct answer: LinkedIn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), not an independently traded public company. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in December 2016 for $26.2 billion — the largest acquisition in Microsoft’s history at the time.
That means LinkedIn does not have its own stock, its own board of directors independent from Microsoft, or its own separate public shareholders. Every piece of LinkedIn belongs entirely to Microsoft. And because LinkedIn is embedded inside Microsoft, the real ownership question becomes: who owns Microsoft?
As of early 2026, no single entity holds a controlling stake in Microsoft. The company uses a single-class share structure — one share, one vote — meaning governance power is distributed roughly in proportion to economic ownership. The three largest index fund managers — Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street — collectively hold around 20% of Microsoft, giving them significant influence over board elections and major corporate decisions.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Shareholder | Type | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) | Direct Parent Company | 100% of LinkedIn | Acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in December 2016 |
| The Vanguard Group | Largest MSFT Institutional Shareholder | ~9% of Microsoft | World’s largest mutual fund company; passive index investor |
| BlackRock, Inc. | Second Largest MSFT Institutional Shareholder | ~7% of Microsoft | World’s largest asset manager |
| State Street Global Advisors | Third Largest MSFT Institutional Shareholder | ~4% of Microsoft | Major passive index fund manager |
| Satya Nadella | Microsoft CEO & MSFT Shareholder | ~0.1% of Microsoft | Leads Microsoft since 2014; championed the LinkedIn acquisition |
| Bill Gates | MSFT Co-Founder & Shareholder | ~1.3% of Microsoft | Has sold most of his stake over time; still a top individual holder |
| Public Shareholders | Retail Investors | Remaining MSFT shares | Anyone can buy MSFT stock on NASDAQ |
| Reid Hoffman | LinkedIn Co-Founder (Historical) | No current ownership | Served on Microsoft’s board until 2023; sold stake in 2016 acquisition |
The Origin Story: A Living Room, a Vision, and the World’s First Professional Network
LinkedIn did not begin as a billion-dollar idea. It began as a simple question: what if professionals had a place online to connect with each other — not for entertainment, but for their careers?
The social platform LinkedIn was created in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and launched in 2003. It is the reference professional social network, linking companies, recruiters, and employees.
Reid Hoffman — a former executive at PayPal — conceived the idea and built the first version of LinkedIn from his living room in Mountain View, California. The co-founders included Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant. When the site launched on May 5, 2003, it added about 20 members per day — modest by any standard, but the right 20 members, because they were professionals actively looking to connect.
LinkedIn became a unicorn very early on, with a valuation exceeding one billion dollars in June 2008. In October 2009, Silicon Valley Insider ranked LinkedIn 10th in its list of the 100 most lucrative startups.
LinkedIn filed for its IPO in January 2011 and first traded on the New York Stock Exchange at $45 per share. The stock doubled on its very first day of trading — one of the most successful tech IPOs of that era. From there, the platform grew aggressively, adding users across every continent and every industry, becoming the go-to destination for professional identity and career development worldwide.
The $26.2 Billion Microsoft Acquisition — The Biggest Social Network Deal in History
By 2016, LinkedIn was the undisputed leader in professional networking — but its stock had just taken a brutal hit. Following the publication of a report on its results, LinkedIn’s shares dropped by 43.6% in one day, with a record loss of $10 billion in market capitalization. It was the single worst day in LinkedIn’s history as a public company.
That moment of vulnerability opened a door for Microsoft.
On June 13, 2016, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft would acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in an all-cash deal. The deal was the largest in Microsoft’s history at the time and the most expensive acquisition of a social network ever completed — anywhere in the world.
Microsoft has paid a whopping $26.2 billion in an all-cash deal to purchase 100% of the company from its previous stakeholders. After LinkedIn’s acquisition, the LinkedIn stock was immediately removed from the NYSE and it became a privately held company under Microsoft Corporation.
The deal closed in December 2016. Satya Nadella’s thesis was straightforward: Microsoft was the dominant platform for enterprise productivity — Office, Outlook, Teams, Azure — and LinkedIn was the world’s largest database of professional identities. Combining the two could create something far more powerful than either could build alone. That vision has proven to be correct.
LinkedIn’s New CEO: Daniel Shapero Takes Over in April 2026
Just weeks ago, LinkedIn made a significant leadership change that made headlines across the tech world.
LinkedIn has a new CEO for the first time in six years. Daniel Shapero, the company’s chief operating officer since 2021, is stepping into the top job, reporting to Ryan Roslansky, who was elevated last year to executive vice president overseeing both LinkedIn and Microsoft Office. The changes come as LinkedIn crosses $5 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, putting it on an annual run rate of more than $20 billion.
Roslansky announced the changes in a post on LinkedIn itself, saying he also asked Mohak Shroff, LinkedIn’s longtime engineering leader, to take on the new role of President of Platforms and Digital Work.
LinkedIn’s revenue grew 11% year over year in the latest quarter. The new leadership structure is designed to free Roslansky to focus on his expanded Microsoft portfolio — while Shapero runs LinkedIn’s day-to-day operations as the platform pushes deeper into AI-powered career tools.
How Much Revenue Does LinkedIn Generate?
The financial story of LinkedIn under Microsoft ownership is one of the most impressive growth stories in the technology industry.
As CEO of LinkedIn, Ryan Roslansky nearly tripled LinkedIn’s business to $19.5 billion in annual revenue, while growing the platform to record levels of engagement, with over 1.3 billion members, 70 million companies, 144 thousand schools, and 42 thousand skills.
When Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016, the platform was generating around $3 billion per year in revenue. Today, with an annual run rate crossing $20 billion, LinkedIn has become one of the most profitable business units inside all of Microsoft — more valuable than almost anyone expected when the deal was announced.
The growth has been driven by four main revenue streams: Talent Solutions (recruitment tools and job listings), Marketing Solutions (advertising and sponsored content), Premium Subscriptions (personal and business upgrade plans), and Sales Solutions (B2B lead generation tools). LinkedIn’s premium subscriptions jumped 75% quarter-on-quarter and the number of people using its AI-powered coaching tools more than doubled in three months.
Did Reid Hoffman Stay Involved After the Acquisition?
Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, did not disappear after the 2016 acquisition. He joined Microsoft’s board of directors as part of the deal and remained actively involved in Microsoft’s strategic direction for several years.
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman served on Microsoft’s board until 2023, when he stepped down amid growing AI-related board responsibilities and potential conflicts of interest.
Hoffman has since focused primarily on his venture capital work at Greylock Partners and his involvement with various AI companies — including a board seat at OpenAI for a period of time. He remains one of the most influential voices in Silicon Valley even though he no longer has any formal role at LinkedIn or Microsoft.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns LinkedIn in 2026?
LinkedIn is 100% owned by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), which acquired it for $26.2 billion in December 2016.
Q2. Did Microsoft buy LinkedIn?
Yes. Microsoft completed the all-cash acquisition of LinkedIn on December 8, 2016, making it a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary.
Q3. Who founded LinkedIn and when?
LinkedIn was founded by Reid Hoffman in 2002 and officially launched on May 5, 2003 in Mountain View, California.
Q4. Who is the current CEO of LinkedIn in 2026?
Daniel Shapero became CEO of LinkedIn on April 22, 2026, succeeding Ryan Roslansky, who was elevated to EVP at Microsoft.
Q5. How much revenue does LinkedIn generate?
LinkedIn crossed a $20 billion annual revenue run rate in early 2026, up from just $3 billion when Microsoft acquired it in 2016.
Q6. Is LinkedIn publicly traded?
No. LinkedIn is a private subsidiary of Microsoft and has not been publicly traded since its acquisition in December 2016.
Q7. Who are the biggest shareholders of Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn?
Vanguard Group (~9%), BlackRock (~7%), and State Street (~4%) are the three largest institutional shareholders of Microsoft.
Q8. How many members does LinkedIn have in 2026? LinkedIn has over 1.3 billion members across 200+ countries and 70 million companies registered on the platform as of 2026.
LinkedIn is owned 100% by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), which acquired it for $26.2 billion in December 2016. Microsoft itself is publicly traded with no single controlling shareholder — the largest institutional holders are Vanguard (~9%), BlackRock (~7%), and State Street (~4%). Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has a small personal stake, and Bill Gates retains approximately 1.3%.
LinkedIn was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and launched in 2003, growing from 20 members per day to 1.3 billion members across 200+ countries today. As of April 2026, Daniel Shapero serves as the new CEO of LinkedIn, taking over from Ryan Roslansky, who has been elevated to Executive Vice President overseeing both LinkedIn and Microsoft Office. With annual revenue crossing a $20 billion run rate, LinkedIn is one of the most successful acquisitions in the history of American technology.