Microsoft just made the biggest purchase in the company’s history by welcoming LinkedIn into the fold, and while internet opinions seem to be divisive on the issue, one man, whose opinion is actually important, feels pretty good about it. Yes, Bill Gates himself just went on the record to endorse his brainchild’s new buy, reports Geekwire.
The opinion was expressed by Gates during a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, and he thinks it’s a great transaction. Gates has known the LinkedIn leadership duo (Chairman Reid Hoffman and CEO Jeff Weiner, specifically) for some time, apparently, and has a very high opinion of the professional audience the service has attracted over the years, calling it “incredible.” The Microsoft’s co-founder and former CEO also shares
The Microsoft’s co-founder and former CEO also shares an opinion with his newest successor, current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, that LinkedIn will be a fine addition on the communication front for the Redmond giant’s work with people and productivity.
“I think there will be a lot of synergies there so I was very encouraging as that deal came together and glad to see that it really happened.”
Gates’ ambition, or at least expectations, for LinkedIn does not limit to how the service currently operates. In fact, he expects LinkedIn to generate as much value for its audiences as “the Facebook feed in the social world” – a tall order given the latter’s ubiquity in the social network space. Of course, such a high aim cannot be achieved overnight: Gates is seeing it “happen over a period of years.” He’s not deterred by the stock market’s reaction to the deal, either, instead looking at it as only how “the market wants us to show” the combined future value of the combination.
All in all, Bill Gates has a pretty positive outlook about the deal, and his thoughts seem to be in line with Microsoft’s current management. Nevertheless, only time can tell if this deal will go the way of write-off like Nokia, or if Microsoft will transform LinkedIn into something truly incredible. Stay tuned for more LinkedIn and Microsoft news.
Further reading: Acquisitions, Bill Gates, Business, LinkedIn, Microsoft
