LinkedIn

LinkedIn (Template:IPAc-en) is an American business and employment-oriented social network. It was launched on May 5, 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly.<ref name="about">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since December 2016, LinkedIn has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows jobseekers to post their CVs and employers to post jobs. From 2015, most of the company's revenue came from selling access to information about its members to recruiters and sales professionals and has also introduced their own ad portal named LinkedIn Ads to let companies advertise in their platform.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> LinkedIn has more than 1 billion registered members from over 200 countries and territories.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LinkedIn allows members (both employees and employers) to create profiles and connect with each other in an online social network which may represent real-world professional relationships. Members can invite anyone (whether an existing member or not) to become a connection. LinkedIn can also be used to organize offline events, join groups, write articles, publish job postings, post photos and videos, and more.<ref name="Help.linkedin.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Company overview

Founded in Mountain View, California, LinkedIn is currently headquartered in Mountain View, with 36 global offices as of February 11, 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="About">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In February 2024, the company had around 18,500 employees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="about" />

LinkedIn's current CEO is Ryan Roslansky. Jeff Weiner, previously CEO of LinkedIn, is now serving as the Executive Chairman. Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, is chairman of the board.<ref name="hempel2013">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was funded by Sequoia Capital, Greylock, Bain Capital Ventures,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Bessemer Venture Partners and the European Founders Fund.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> LinkedIn reached profitability in March 2006.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Since January 2011, the company had received a total of $103 million (about $Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year) of investment.<ref name="IPO rumour Jan 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn filed for an initial public offering in January 2011 and traded its first shares in May, under the NYSE symbol "LNKD".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Founding from 2002 to 2011

File:LinkedIn Headquarters Mountain View.jpg

Former LinkedIn headquarters on Stierlin Court in Mountain View, California

The company was founded in December 2002 by Reid Hoffman and the founding team members from PayPal and Socialnet.com (Allen Blue, Eric Ly, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Lee Hower, Konstantin Guericke, Stephen Beitzel, David Eves, Ian McNish, Yan Pujante, Chris Saccheri).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In late 2003, Sequoia Capital led the Series A investment in the company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In August 2004, LinkedIn reached 1 million users.<ref name="Byers2013">Template:Cite book</ref> In March 2006, LinkedIn achieved its first month of profitability.<ref name="Byers2013"/> In April 2007, LinkedIn reached 10 million users.<ref name="Byers2013"/> In February 2008, LinkedIn launched a mobile version of the site.<ref name="MyUser_Https:_September_11_2016c">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In June 2008, Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, and other venture capital firms purchased a 5% stake in the company for $53 million, giving the company a post-money valuation of approximately $1 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2009, LinkedIn opened its office in Mumbai<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and soon thereafter in Sydney, as it started its Asia-Pacific team expansion. In 2010, LinkedIn opened an International Headquarters in Dublin, Ireland,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> received a $20 million investment from Tiger Global Management LLC at a valuation of approximately $2 billion,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> announced its first acquisition, Mspoke,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and improved its 1% premium subscription ratio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October of that year, Silicon Valley Insider ranked the company No. 10 on its Top 100 List of most valuable startups.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By December, the company was valued at $1.575 billion in private markets.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Registration required</ref> LinkedIn started its India operations in 2009 and a major part of the first year was dedicated to understanding professionals in India and educating members to leverage LinkedIn for career development.

2011 to present

File:222secondStreet.jpg

LinkedIn office building at 222 Second Street in San Francisco (opened in March 2016)

File:LinkedInOfficeToronto2.jpg

LinkedIn office in Toronto inside the Toronto Eaton Centre

LinkedIn filed for an initial public offering in January 2011. The company traded its first shares on May 19, 2011, under the NYSE symbol "LNKD", at $45 (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year) per share.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Shares of LinkedIn rose as much as 171% on their first day of trade on the New York Stock Exchange and closed at $94.25, more than 109% above IPO price. Shortly after the IPO, the site's underlying infrastructure was revised to allow accelerated revision-release cycles.<ref name="hempel2013"/> In 2011, LinkedIn earned $154.6 million in advertising revenue alone, surpassing Twitter, which earned $139.5 million.<ref>"Social Network Ads: LinkedIn Falls Behind Twitter; Facebook Biggest of All" Template:Webarchive. Lunden, Ingrid January 31, 2012.</ref> LinkedIn's fourth-quarter 2011, earnings soared because of the company's increase in success in the social media world.<ref>"Stocks to Watch: Nuance Communications, LinkedIn, Merck and More" Template:Webarchive. Thomson Maya and Pope-Chappell Maya February 13, 2012.</ref> By this point, LinkedIn had about 2,100 full-time employees compared to the 500 that it had in 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In April 2014, LinkedIn announced that it had leased 222 Second Street, a 26-story building under construction in San Francisco's SoMa district, to accommodate up to 2,500 of its employees,<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with the lease covering 10 years.<ref name="sfbusiness">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The goal was to join all San Francisco-based staff (1,250 as of January 2016) in one building, bringing sales and marketing employees together with the research and development team.<ref name="sfbusiness" /> In March 2016 they started to move in.<ref name="sfbusiness" /> In February 2016 following an earnings report, LinkedIn's shares dropped 43.6% within a single day, down to $108.38 per share. LinkedIn lost $10 billion of its market capitalization that day.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2016, access to LinkedIn was blocked by Russian authorities for non-compliance with the 2015 national legislation that requires social media networks to store citizens' personal data on servers located in Russia.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In June 2016, Microsoft announced that it would acquire LinkedIn for $196 a share, a total value of $26.2 billion. It was the largest acquisition made by Microsoft, until the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2022. The acquisition would be an all-cash, debt-financed transaction. Microsoft would allow LinkedIn to "retain its distinct brand, culture and independence", with Weiner to remain as CEO, who would then report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Analysts believed Microsoft saw the opportunity to integrate LinkedIn with its Office product suite to help better integrate the professional network system with its products. The deal was completed on December 8, 2016.<ref name="wsj ms">Template:Cite news</ref>

In late 2016, LinkedIn announced a planned increase of 200 new positions in its Dublin office, which would bring the total employee count to 1,200.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2017 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Soon after LinkedIn's acquisition by Microsoft, LinkedIn's new desktop version was introduced.<ref name="LinkedIn Corporate Communications Team">LinkedIn Corporate Communications Team for LinkedIn Newsroom. January 19, 2017 Introducing the New LinkedIn Desktop Template:Webarchive</ref> The new version was meant to make the user experience similar across mobile and desktop. Some changes were made according to the feedback received from the previously launched mobile app. Features that were not heavily used were removed. For example, the contact tagging and filtering features are not supported anymore.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Following the launch of the new user interface (UI), some users complained about the missing features which were there in the older version, slowness, and bugs in it. The issues were faced by free and premium users and with both the desktop and mobile versions of the site.

In 2019, LinkedIn launched globally the feature Open for Business that enables freelancers to be discovered on the platform.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> LinkedIn Events was launched in the same year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2020, Jeff Weiner stepped down as CEO and become executive chairman after 11 years in the role. Ryan Roslansky stepped up as CEO from his previous position as the senior vice president of product.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In late July 2020, LinkedIn announced it laid off 960 employees, about 6 percent of the total workforce, from the talent acquisition and global sales teams. In an email to all employees, CEO Ryan Roslansky said the cuts were due to effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April 2021, CyberNews claimed that 500 million LinkedIn's accounts have leaked online.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, LinkedIn stated that "We have investigated an alleged set of LinkedIn data that has been posted for sale and have determined that it is actually an aggregation of data from a number of websites and companies".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In June 2021, PrivacySharks claimed that more than 700 million LinkedIn records were on sale on a hacker forum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn later stated that this is not a breach, but scraped data which is also a violation of their Terms of Service.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Microsoft ended LinkedIn operations in China in October 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, LinkedIn earned $13.8 billion in revenue, compared to $10.3 billion in 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In May 2023, LinkedIn cut 716 positions from its 20,000 workforce. The move, according to a letter from the company's CEO Ryan Roslansky, was made to streamline the business's operations. Roslansky further stated that this decision would result in the creation of 250 job opportunities. Additionally, LinkedIn also announced the discontinuance of its China local job apps.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2024, Axios reported LinkedIn was testing a new AI assistant for its paid Premium users.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2024, LinkedIn suspended its use of UK user data for AI model training after concerns were raised by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The platform had quietly opted in users globally for data use in AI training. However, following ICO feedback, LinkedIn paused this practice for UK users. A company spokesperson stated that LinkedIn has always allowed users to control how their data is used and has now provided UK users with an opt-out option.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In November 2024, Linkedin challenged Australian legislation which sought to ban under-16's from social media platforms on the grounds that it does 'not have content interesting and appealing to minors.'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Acquisitions

In July 2012, LinkedIn acquired 15 key Digg patents for $4 million including a "click a button to vote up a story" patent.<ref>Digg Sold To LinkedIn AND The Washington Post And Betaworks Template:Webarchive, TechCrunch.com, July 2012</ref>

Number	Acquisition date	Company	Business	Country	Price	Description	Template:Abbr
1	Template:Dts	mspoke	Adaptive personalization of content	Template:Flag	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	LinkedIn Recommendations	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2	Template:Dts	ChoiceVendor	Social B2B Reviews	Template:Flag	$3.9 million<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Rate and review B2B service providers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
3	Template:Dts	CardMunch	Social Contacts	Template:Flag	$1.7 million<ref name="SEC S/1 Filing"/>	Scan and import business cards	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
4	Template:Dts	Connected	Social CRM	Template:Flag	-	LinkedIn Connected	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
5	Template:Dts	IndexTank	Social search	Template:Flag	-	LinkedIn Search	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
6	Template:Dts	Rapportive	Social Contacts	Template:Flag	$15 million<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	-	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
7	Template:Dts	ESAYA Inc.	Social Content	Template:Flag	-	TrueSwitch - Migrate Your Email, Contacts & Calendar data Between Provider's Account	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
8	Template:Dts	SlideShare	Social Content	Template:Flag	$119 million	Give LinkedIn members a way to discover people through content	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
9	Template:Dts	Pulse	Web / Mobile newsreader	Template:Flag	$90 million	Definitive professional publishing platform	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
10	Template:Dts	Bright.com	Job Matching	Template:Flag	$120 million		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11	Template:Dts	Newsle	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Allows users to follow real news about their Facebook friends, LinkedIn contacts, and public figures.	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11	Template:Dts	Bizo	Web application	Template:Flag	$175 million	Helps advertisers reach businesses and professionals	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12	Template:Dts	Careerify	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Helps businesses hire people using social media	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13	Template:Dts	Refresh.io	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Surfaces insights about people in your networks right before you meet them	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14	Template:Dts	Lynda.com	eLearning	Template:Flag	$1.5 billion	Lets users learn business, technology, software, and creative skills through videos	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15	Template:Dts	Fliptop	Predictive Sales and Marketing Firm	Template:Flag	-	Using data science to help companies close more sales	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
16	Template:Dts	Connectifier	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Helps companies with their recruiting	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
17	Template:Dts	PointDrive	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Lets salespeople share visual content with prospective clients to help seal the deal	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
18	Template:Dts	Glint Inc.	Web application	Template:Flag	-	Employee engagement platform.	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
19	May 28, 2019	Drawbridge	Marketing Solutions	Template:Flag			<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Perkins lawsuit

In 2013, a class action lawsuit entitled Perkins vs. LinkedIn Corp was filed against the company, accusing it of automatically sending invitations to contacts in a member's email address book without permission. The court agreed with LinkedIn that permission had in fact been given for invitations to be sent, but not for the two further reminder emails.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn settled the lawsuit in 2015 for $13 million (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year).<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many members should have received a notice in their email with the subject line "Legal Notice of Settlement of Class Action". The Case No. is 13-CV-04303-LHK.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

hiQ Labs v. LinkedIn

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In May 2017, LinkedIn sent a Cease-And-Desist letter to hiQ Labs, a Silicon Valley startup that collects data from public profiles and provides analysis of this data to its customers. The letter demanded that hiQ immediately cease "scraping" data from LinkedIn's servers, claiming violations of the CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) and the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). In response hiQ sued LinkedIn in the Northern District of California in San Francisco, asking the court to prohibit LinkedIn from blocking its access to public profiles while the court considered the merits of its request. The court served a preliminary injunction against LinkedIn, which was then forced to allow hiQ to continue to collect public data. LinkedIn appealed this ruling; in September 2019, the appeals court rejected LinkedIn's arguments and the preliminary injunction was upheld. The dispute is ongoing.

Membership

File:Linkedin Chocolates.jpg

Social media websites may also use "traditional" marketing approaches, as seen in these LinkedIn-branded chocolates.

In 2015, LinkedIn had more than 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories,<ref name="hempel2013"/><ref name="in">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which was significantly more than competitor Viadeo (50 million as of 2013.)<ref name="thenextweb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2011, its membership grew by approximately two new members every second.<ref name="TwoMembersASecond">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2020, LinkedIn's membership grew to over 690 million LinkedIn members.<ref name="about_linkedin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of September 2021, LinkedIn had 774+ million registered members from over 200 countries and territories.<ref name="about_linkedin"/> In November 2023, LinkedIn reached a member count of one billion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Platform and features

User profile network

Basic functionality

File:LinkedIn homepage.png

LinkedIn homepage

The basic functionality of LinkedIn allows users to create profiles, which for employees typically consist of a curriculum vitae describing their work experience, education and training, skills, and a personal photo. Employers can list jobs and search for potential candidates. Users can find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by someone in one's contact network. Users can save jobs that they would like to apply for. Users also have the ability to follow different companies.

The site also enables members to make "connections" to each other in an online social network which may represent real-world professional relationships. Members can invite anyone to become a connection. Users can obtain introductions to the connections of connections (termed second-degree connections) and connections of second-degree connections (termed third-degree connections).

A member's list of connections can be used in a number of ways. For example, users can search for second-degree connections who work at a company they are interested in, and then ask a specific first-degree connection in common for an introduction.<ref name="SecondDegreeConnections">Template:Cite news</ref> The "gated-access approach" (where contact with any professional requires either an existing relationship, or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service's users. LinkedIn participated in the EU's International Safe Harbor Privacy Principles.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Users can interact with each other in a variety of ways:

• Connections can interact by choosing to "like" posts and "congratulate" others on updates such as birthdays, anniversaries and new positions, as well as by direct messaging.
• Users can share video with text and filters with the introduction of LinkedIn Video.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• Users can write posts and articles<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> within the LinkedIn platform to share with their network.

Since September 2012, LinkedIn has enabled users to "endorse" each other's skills. However, there is no way of flagging anything other than positive content.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn solicits endorsements using algorithms that generate skills members might have. Members cannot opt out of such solicitations, with the result that it sometimes appears that a member is soliciting an endorsement for a non-existent skill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Applications

LinkedIn 'applications' often refer to external third-party applications that interact with LinkedIn's developer API. However, in some cases, it could refer to sanctioned applications featured on a user's profile page.

External, third party applications

In February 2015, LinkedIn released an updated terms of use for their developer API.<ref>Terms of Use Template:Webarchive, LinkedIn, February 12, 2015</ref> The developer API allows both companies and individuals the ability to interact with LinkedIn's data through creation of managed third-party applications. Applications must go through a review process and request permission from the user before accessing a user's data.

Normal use of the API is outlined in LinkedIn's developer documents,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including:

• Sign into external services using LinkedIn
• Add items or attributes to a user profile
• Share items or articles to user's timeline

Embedded in profile

In October 2008, LinkedIn enabled an "applications platform" which allows external online services to be embedded within a member's profile page. Among the initial applications were an Amazon Reading List that allows LinkedIn members to display books they are reading, a connection to Tripit, and a Six Apart, WordPress and TypePad application that allows members to display their latest blog postings within their LinkedIn profile.<ref>Facebook in a Suit: LinkedIn Launches Applications Platform Template:Webarchive, Business Week, October 28, 2008</ref> In November 2010, LinkedIn allowed businesses to list products and services on company profile pages; it also permitted LinkedIn members to "recommend" products and services and write reviews.<ref>"LinkedIn Adopts 'Recommend' Over 'Like'" Template:Webarchive, Clickz.com, November 2, 2010</ref> Shortly after, some of the external services were no longer supported, including Amazon's Reading List.Template:Citation needed

Mobile

A mobile version of the site was launched in February 2008 and made available in six languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2011, LinkedIn acquired CardMunch, a mobile app maker that scans business cards and converts into contacts.<ref>CardMunch acquired by LinkedIn Template:Webarchive, shoutEx.com Feb 2011</ref> In June 2013, CardMunch was noted as an available LinkedIn app.<ref name="hempel2013"/> In October 2013, LinkedIn announced a service for iPhone users called "Intro", which inserts a thumbnail of a person's LinkedIn profile in correspondence with that person when reading mail messages in the native iOS Mail program.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This is accomplished by re-routing all emails from and to the iPhone through LinkedIn servers, which security firm Bishop Fox asserts has serious privacy implications, violates many organizations' security policies, and resembles a man-in-the-middle attack.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Groups

LinkedIn also supports daily the formation of interest groups. In 2012, there were 1,248,019 such groups whose membership varies from 1 to 744,662.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Groups support a limited form of discussion area, moderated by the group owners and managers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Groups may be private, accessible to members only or may be open to Internet users in general to read, though they must join in order to post messages. Since groups offer the functionality to reach a wide audience without so easily falling foul of anti-spam solutions, there is a constant stream of spam postings, and there now exists a range of firms who offer a spamming service for this very purpose. LinkedIn has devised a few mechanisms to reduce the volume of spam,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but recentlyTemplate:When decided to remove the ability of group owners to inspect the email address of new members in order to determine if they were spammers.Template:Citation needed Groups also keep their members informed through emails with updates to the group, including most talked about discussions within your professional circles.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In December 2011, LinkedIn announced that they are rolling out polls to groups.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2013, LinkedIn announced the addition of Showcase Pages to the platform.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, LinkedIn announced they were going to be removing Product and Services Pages<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> paving the way for a greater focus on Showcase Pages.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Knowledge graph

LinkedIn maintains an internal knowledge graph of entities (people, organizations, groups) that helps it connect everyone working in a field or at an organization or network. This can be used to query the neighborhood around each entity to find updates that might be related to it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This also lets them train machine learning models that can infer new properties about an entity or further information that may apply to it for both summary views and analytics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Discontinued features

In January 2013, LinkedIn dropped support for LinkedIn Answers and cited a new 'focus on development of new and more engaging ways to share and discuss professional topics across LinkedIn' as the reason for the retirement of the feature. The feature had been launched in 2007 and allowed users to post questions to their network and allowed users to rank answers.

In 2014, LinkedIn retired InMaps, a feature which allowed you to visualize your professional network.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The feature had been in use since January 2011.

According to the company's website, LinkedIn Referrals will no longer be available after May 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Update inline

In September 2021, LinkedIn discontinued LinkedIn stories, a feature that was rolled out worldwide in October 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Usage

Personal branding

File:LinkedIn connection levels first-level second-level third-level according to Sandra Long of Post Road Consulting.png

When a user accepts an invitation from another user, they have a first-level connection; the user is indirectly connected to the other user's connections with what LinkedIn terms second-level and third-level connections.

LinkedIn is particularly well-suited for personal branding, which, according to Sandra Long, entails "actively managing one's image and unique value" to position oneself for career opportunities.<ref name="twsLong1212">Template:Cite book</ref> LinkedIn has evolved from being a mere platform for job searchers into a social network which allows users a chance to create a personal brand.<ref name="twsSA101">Template:Cite news</ref> Career coach Pamela Green describes a personal brand as the "emotional experience you want people to have as a result of interacting with you," and a LinkedIn profile is an aspect of that.<ref name="twsAN112">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A contrasting report suggests that a personal brand is "a public-facing persona, exhibited on LinkedIn, Twitter and other networks, that showcases expertise and fosters new connections."<ref name="twsWSH4433">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LinkedIn allows professionals to build exposure for their brand within the site itself and on the World Wide Web as a whole. With a tool that LinkedIn dubs a Profile Strength Meter, the site encourages users to offer enough information in their profile to optimize visibility by search engines. It can strengthen a user's LinkedIn presence if they belong to professional groups on the site.<ref name="twsTheStreet111">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="twsLong1212"/> The site enables users to add a video to their profiles.<ref name="twsINC2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some users hire a professional photographer for their profile photo.<ref name="twsForbes202">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Video presentations can be added to one's profile.<ref name="twsEP101">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn's capabilities have been expanding so rapidly that a cottage industry of outside consultants has grown up to help users navigate the system.<ref name="twsFC101">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="twsINC2010"/> A particular emphasis is helping users with their LinkedIn profiles.<ref name="twsFC101"/>

There's no hiding in the long grass on LinkedIn ... The number one mistake people make on the profile is to not have a photo.{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

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In October 2012, LinkedIn launched the LinkedIn Influencers program, which features global thought leaders who share their professional insights with LinkedIn's members. As of May 2016, there are 750+ Influencers.<ref>"Will LinkedIn Address the Influencer Program's Gender Lopsidedness?" Template:Webarchive, LinkedIn Pulse, June 14, 2016. Retrieved on June 28, 2016.</ref> The program is invite-only and features leaders from a range of industries, including Richard Branson, Narendra Modi, Arianna Huffington, Greg McKeown, Rahm Emanuel, Jamie Dimon, Martha Stewart, Deepak Chopra, Jack Welch, and Bill Gates.<ref>Rao, Leena. "LinkedIn Allows You To Follow Key Influencers On The Network; Will Eventually Make Feature Universal" Template:Webarchive, TechCrunch, San Francisco, October 2, 2012. Retrieved on July 19, 2013.</ref><ref>Kaufman, Leslie. "LinkedIn Builds Its Publishing Presence" (Template:Webarchive), The New York Times, New York, June 16, 2013. Retrieved on July 19, 2013.</ref>

Job seeking

Job seekers and employers widely use LinkedIn. According to Jack Meyer, the site has become the "premier digital platform" for professionals to network online.<ref name="twsTheStreet111"/> In Australia, which has approximately twelve million working professionals, ten million of them are on LinkedIn, according to Anastasia Santoreneos, suggesting that the probability was high that one's "future employer is probably on the site."<ref name="twsYahooFinance113">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to one estimate based on worldwide figures, 122 million users got job interviews via LinkedIn and 35 million were hired by a LinkedIn online connection.<ref name="twsYahooFinance4454">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LinkedIn also allows users to research companies, non-profit organizations, and governments they may be interested in working for. Typing the name of a company or organization in the search box causes pop-up data about the company or organization to appear. Such data may include the ratio of female to male employees, the percentage of the most common titles/positions held within the company, the location of the company's headquarters and offices, and a list of present and former employees. In July 2011, LinkedIn launched a new feature allowing companies to include an "Apply with LinkedIn" button on job listing pages.<ref name="Plugin">Colleen Taylor, GigaOm. "LinkedIn launches job application plugin Template:Webarchive." July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.</ref> The new plugin allowed potential employees to apply for positions using their LinkedIn profiles as resumes.<ref name="Plugin"/>

LinkedIn can help small businesses connect with customers.<ref name="twsInc49400">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the site's parlance, two users have a "first-degree connection" when one accepts an invitation from another.<ref name="twsYahooFinance4454"/> People connected to each of them are "second-degree connections" and persons connected to the second-degree connections are "third-degree connections."<ref name="twsYahooFinance4454"/> This forms a user's internal LinkedIn network, making the user's profile more likely to appear in searches.

LinkedIn's Profinder is a marketplace where freelancers can (for a monthly subscription fee) bid for project proposals submitted by individuals and small businesses.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, it had around 60,000 freelancers in more than 140 service areas, such as headshot photography, bookkeeping or tax filing.<ref name=":2"/>

The premise for connecting with someone has shifted significantly in recent years. Before the 2017 new interface was launched, LinkedIn encouraged connections between people who'd already worked, studied, done business, or the like. Since 2017, that step has been removed from the connection request process - and users are allowed to connect with up to 30,000 people.<ref>"Network Size Limit" Template:Webarchive Help Linkedin Corporation. 2023.</ref> This change means LinkedIn is a more proactive networking site for job applicants trying to secure a career move or for salespeople wanting to generate new client leads.<ref name="twsLong1212"/>

Top Companies

LinkedIn Top Companies is a series of lists published by LinkedIn, identifying companies in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom that are attracting the most intense interest from job candidates. The 2019 lists identified Google's parent company, Alphabet, as the most sought-after U.S. company, with Facebook ranked second and Amazon ranked third.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The lists are based on more than one billion actions by LinkedIn members worldwide. The Top Companies lists were started in 2016 and are published annually. The 2021 top list identified Amazon as the top company, with Alphabet ranked second and JPMorgan & Chase Co. ranked third.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Top Voices and other rankings

Since 2015, LinkedIn has published annual rankings of Top Voices on the platform, recognizing "members that generated the most engagement and interaction with their posts."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2020 lists<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> included 14 industry categories, ranging from data science to sports, as well as 14 country lists, extending from Australia to Italy.

LinkedIn also publishes data-driven annual rankings of the Top Startups in more than a dozen countries, based on "employment growth, job interest from potential candidates, engagement, and attraction of top talent."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Advertising and for-pay research

In 2008, LinkedIn launched LinkedIn DirectAds as a form of sponsored advertising.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In October 2008, LinkedIn revealed plans to open its social network of 30 million professionals globally as a potential sample for business-to-business research. It is testing a potential social network revenue model – research that, to some, appears more promising than advertising.<ref>LinkedIn's promising new revenue model: sending you surveys. By: Neff, Jack, Advertising Age, 00018899, October 27, 2008, Vol. 79, Issue 40. Database: Business Source Complete</ref> On July 23, 2013, LinkedIn announced its Sponsored Updates ad service. Individuals and companies can now pay a fee to have LinkedIn sponsor their content and spread it to their user base. This is a common way for social media sites such as LinkedIn to generate revenue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LinkedIn launched its carousel ads feature in 2018, making it the newest addition to the platform's advertising options. With carousel ads, businesses can showcase their products or services through a series of swipeable cards, each with its unique image, headline, and description. They can be used for various marketing objectives, such as promoting a new product launch, driving website traffic, generating leads, or building brand awareness.

Business Manager

On July 22, 2022, LinkedIn announced the creation of Business Manager.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The new Business Manager is a centralized platform designed to make it easier for large companies and agencies to manage people, ad accounts, and business pages.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Publishing platform

In 2015, LinkedIn added an analytics tool to its publishing platform. The tool allows authors to better track the traffic that their posts receive. In relation to this functionality, LinkedIn has gained more users over the years in the interest of clearly monitoring users' posts through post-performance analytics<ref>By Ingrid Lunden, TechCrunch. ""Who's Viewed Your Posts?" LinkedIn Adds Analytics To Its Publishing Platform Template:Webarchive." May 7, 2015. May 7, 2015.</ref>

Future plans

Economic graph

Inspired by Facebook's "social graph", LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner set a goal in 2012 to create an "economic graph" within a decade.<ref name="KovachBI">Steve Kovach November 27, 2012 Jeff Weiner Just Revealed A Surprising Long-Term Vision For LinkedIn Template:Webarchive Business Insider</ref> The goal was to create a comprehensive digital map of the world economy and the connections within it.<ref>Rachel King September 9, 2013 LinkedIn's long-term plan? Build the 'world's first economic graph,' says CEO Template:Webarchive ZDNet's Between the Lines</ref> The economic graph was to be built on the company's current platform with data nodes including companies, jobs, skills, volunteer opportunities, educational institutions, and content.<ref>Ingrid Lunden January 15, 2014 LinkedIn Expands Its Jobs Database With A New Volunteer Marketplace For Unpaid Non-Profit Work Template:Webarchive TechCrunch</ref><ref>Bill Chappell August 19, 2013 University Pages: LinkedIn Launches New College Profiles Template:Webarchive NPR's the two-way</ref> They have been hoping to include all the job listings in the world, all the skills required to get those jobs, all the professionals who could fill them, and all the companies (nonprofit and for-profit) at which they work. The ultimate goal is to make the world economy and job market more efficient through increased transparency.<ref name="KovachBI"/> In June 2014, the company announced its "Galene" search architecture to give users access to the economic graph's data with more thorough filtering of data, via user searches like "Engineers with Hadoop experience in Brazil."<ref>Harrison Weber June 5, 2014 LinkedIn launches ‘Galene’ search architecture to build the first ‘economic graph’ Template:Webarchive VentureBeat</ref><ref>Rachel King June 5, 2014 LinkedIn plans to reinvent search in order to map its economic graph Template:Webarchive ZDNet's Between the Lines</ref>

LinkedIn has published blog posts using economic graph data to research several topics on the job market, including popular destination cities of recent college graduates,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> areas with high concentrations of technology skills,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and common career transitions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn provided the City of New York with data from economic graph showing "in-demand" tech skills for the city's "Tech Talent Pipeline" project.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Role in networking

LinkedIn has been described by online trade publication TechRepublic as having "become the de facto tool for professional networking".<ref>"Five Benefits of LinkedIn for Organizations (and IT Pros) | TechRepublic." Web. May 9, 2011.</ref> LinkedIn has also been praised for its usefulness in fostering business relationships.<ref>"LinkedIn.com, a business-orientated networking site, can be an ideal way for professionals to present an online profile of themselves ... Unlike social networking sites, [with] LinkedIn you're outlining all your credentials; presenting the professional rather than the personal you. Considering the sheer vastness of the digital space, the potential for building up a solid base of contacts and fostering new business relationships is boundless." O'Sullivan, James (2011), "Make the most of the networking tools that are available", Evening Echo, May 9, 2011. Pg 32. Note that the Evening Echo is located close to the European headquarters of LinkedIn</ref> "LinkedIn is, far and away, the most advantageous social networking tool available to job seekers and business professionals today", according to Forbes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> LinkedIn has inspired the creation of specialised professional networking opportunities, such as co-founder Eddie Lou's Chicago startup, Shiftgig (released in 2012 as a platform for hourly workers).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Criticism and controversies

Controversial design choices

Endorsement feature

The feature that allows LinkedIn members to "endorse" each other's skills and experience has been criticized as meaningless, since the endorsements are not necessarily accurate or given by people who have familiarity with the member's skills.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In October 2016, LinkedIn acknowledged that it "really does matter who endorsed you" and began highlighting endorsements from "coworkers and other mutual connections" to address the criticism.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Use of e-mail accounts of members for spam sending

LinkedIn sends "invite emails" to Outlook contacts from its members' email accounts, without obtaining their consent. The "invitations" give the impression that the e-mail holder themself has sent the invitation. If there is no response, the answer will be repeated several times ("You have not yet answered XY's invitation.") LinkedIn was sued in the United States on charges of hijacking e-mail accounts and spamming. The company argued with the right to freedom of expression. In addition, the users concerned would be supported in building a network.<ref>LinkedIn argues it has free speech right to email Template:Webarchive Mediapost.com on September 19, 2014.</ref><ref>Template:Usurped Courthouse News Service on October 13, 2014.</ref><ref>LinkedIn illegally sold your professional data lawsuit claims Template:Webarchive News Mic on October 13, 2014.</ref>

The sign-up process includes users entering their email password (there is an opt-out feature). LinkedIn will then offer to send out contact invitations to all members in that address book or that the user has had email conversations with. When the member's email address book is opened, it is opened with all email addresses selected, and the member is advised invitations will be sent to "selected" email addresses, or to all. LinkedIn was sued for sending out another two follow-up invitations to each contact from members to link to friends who had ignored the initial, authorized invitation.

In November 2014, LinkedIn lost a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, in a ruling that the invitations were advertisements not broadly protected by free speech rights that would otherwise permit use of people's names and images without authorization.<ref>LinkedIn to face lawsuit for spamming users' email address books Template:Webarchive, BetaNews</ref><ref>LinkedIn is "breaking into" user emails, spamming contacts – lawsuit Template:Webarchive, Gigaom.com</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The lawsuit was eventually settled in 2015 in favor of LinkedIn members.<ref name="auto"/>

Moving emails to LinkedIn servers

At the end of 2013 it was announced that the LinkedIn app intercepted users' emails and quietly moved them to LinkedIn servers for full access.<ref name="New York Times">LinkedIns new mobile app called a dream for attackers Template:Webarchive New York Times on October 24, 2013.</ref> LinkedIn used man-in-the-middle attacks.<ref>LinkedIn liest Ihre Mails mit Template:Webarchive PC-Welt on October 28, 2013.</ref>

Security incidents

2012 hack

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In June 2012, cryptographic hashes of approximately 6.4 million LinkedIn user passwords were stolen by Yevgeniy Nikulin and other hackers who then published the stolen hashes online.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This action is known as the 2012 LinkedIn hack. In response to the incident, LinkedIn asked its users to change their passwords. Security experts criticized LinkedIn for not salting their password file and for using a single iteration of SHA-1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 31, 2013, LinkedIn added two-factor authentication, an important security enhancement for preventing hackers from gaining access to accounts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2016, 117 million LinkedIn usernames and passwords were offered for sale online for the equivalent of $2,200 (~$Template:Format price in Template:Inflation/year).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These account details are believed to be sourced from the original 2012 LinkedIn hack, in which the number of user IDs stolen had been underestimated. To handle the large volume of emails sent to its users every day with notifications for messages, profile views, important happenings in their network, and other things, LinkedIn uses the Momentum email platform from Message Systems.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2021 breaches

A breach disclosed in April 2021 affected 500 million users.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A breach disclosed in June 2021 was thought to have affected 92% of users, exposing contact information, employment information. LinkedIn asserted that the data was aggregated via web scraping from LinkedIn as well as several other sites, and noted that "only information that people listed publicly in their profiles" was included.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Malicious behavior on LinkedIn

Phishing

In what is known as Operation Socialist, documents released by Edward Snowden in the 2013 global surveillance disclosures revealed that British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (an intelligence and security organisation) infiltrated the Belgian telecommunications network Belgacom by luring employees to a false LinkedIn page.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2014, Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) discovered that Threat Group-2889, an Iran-based group, created 25 fake LinkedIn accounts. The accounts were either fully developed personas or supporting personas. They use spearphishing and malicious websites against their victims.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Third-party inline

According to reporting by Le Figaro, France's General Directorate for Internal Security and Directorate-General for External Security believe that Chinese spies have used LinkedIn to target thousands of business and government officials as potential sources of information.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) published information alleging that Chinese intelligence services had created fake social media profiles on sites such as LinkedIn, using them to gather information on German politicians and government officials.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, the company ranked first in a list of brands most likely to be imitated in phishing attempts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In August 2023, several Linkedin users were targeted by hackers in hijacking and phishing bid. Users were locked out of their accounts and threatened with permanent account deletion if they did not pay a ransom.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

False and misleading information

LinkedIn has come under scrutiny for its handling of misinformation and disinformation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The platform has struggled to deal with fake profiles and falsehoods about COVID-19 and the 2020 US presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Policies

Privacy policy

The German Stiftung Warentest has criticized that the balance of rights between users and LinkedIn is disproportionate, restricting users' rights excessively while granting the company far-reaching rights.<ref>Stiftung Warentest kritisiert Facebook, LinkedIn und Myspace Template:Webarchive golem.de (German) on March 3, 2018.</ref> It has also been claimed that LinkedIn does not respond to consumer protection center requests.<ref>Soziale Netzwerke: Datenschutz oft mangelhaft Template:Webarchive Stiftung Warentest (German) on March 24, 2014.</ref>

DEI

In January 2025 during the second Trump administration, LinkedIn quietly deleted its Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) web page.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Research on labor market effects

In 2010, Social Science Computer Review published research by economists Ralf Caers and Vanessa Castelyns who sent an online questionnaire to 398 and 353 LinkedIn and Facebook users respectively in Belgium and found that both sites had become tools for recruiting job applicants for professional occupations as well as additional information about applicants, and that it was being used by recruiters to decide which applicants would receive interviews.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In May 2017, Research Policy published an analysis of PhD holders use of LinkedIn and found that PhD holders who move into industry were more likely to have LinkedIn accounts and to have larger networks of LinkedIn connections, were more likely to use LinkedIn if they had co-authors abroad, and to have wider networks if they moved abroad after obtaining their PhD.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Also in 2017, sociologist Ofer Sharone conducted interviews with unemployed workers to research the effects of LinkedIn and Facebook as labor market intermediaries and found that social networking services (SNS) have had a filtration effect that has little to do with evaluations of merit, and that the SNS filtration effect has exerted new pressures on workers to manage their careers to conform to the logic of the SNS filtration effect.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In October 2018, Foster School of Business professors Melissa Rhee, Elina Hwang, and Yong Tan performed an empirical analysis of whether the common professional networking tactic by job seekers of creating LinkedIn connections with professionals who work at a target company or in a target field is actually instrumental in obtaining referrals and found instead that job seekers were less likely to be referred by employees who were employed by the target company or in the target field due to job similarity and self-protection from competition. Rhee, Hwang, and Tan further found that referring employees in higher hierarchical positions than the job candidates were more likely to provide referrals and that gender homophily did not reduce the competition self-protection effect.<ref>Template:Cite SSRN</ref>

In July 2019, sociologists Steve McDonald, Amanda K. Damarin, Jenelle Lawhorne, and Annika Wilcox performed qualitative interviews with 61 human resources recruiters in two metropolitan areas in the Southern United States and found that recruiters filling low- and general-skilled positions typically posted advertisements on online job boards while recruiters filling high-skilled or supervisor positions targeted passive candidates on LinkedIn (i.e. employed workers not actively seeking work but possibly willing to change positions), and concluded that this is resulting in a bifurcated winner-takes-all job market with recruiters focusing their efforts on poaching already employed high-skilled workers while active job seekers are relegated to hyper-competitive online job boards.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In December 2001, the ACM SIGGROUP Bulletin published a study on the use of mobile phones by blue-collar workers that noted that research about tools for blue-collar workers to find work in the digital age was strangely absent and expressed concern that the absence of such research could lead to technology design choices that would concentrate greater power in the hands of managers rather than workers.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In a September 2019 working paper, economists Laurel Wheeler, Robert Garlick, and RTI International scholars Eric Johnson, Patrick Shaw, and Marissa Gargano ran a randomized evaluation of training job seekers in South Africa to use LinkedIn as part of job readiness programs. The evaluation found that the training increased the job seekers employment by approximately 10 percent by reducing information frictions between job seekers and prospective employers, that the training had this effect for approximately 12 months, and that while the training may also have facilitated referrals, it did not reduce job search costs and the jobs for the treatment and control groups in the evaluation had equal probabilities of retention, promotion, and obtaining a permanent contract.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> In 2020, Applied Economics published research by economists Steffen Brenner, Sezen Aksin Sivrikaya, and Joachim Schwalbach using LinkedIn demonstrating that high status individuals self-select into professional networking services rather than workers unsatisfied with their career status adversely selecting into the services to receive networking benefits.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

International restrictions

In February 2011, it was reported that LinkedIn was being blocked in China after calls for a "Jasmine Revolution". It was speculated to have been blocked because it is an easy way for dissidents to access Twitter, which had been blocked previously.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a day of being blocked, LinkedIn access was restored in China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2014, LinkedIn launched its Simplified Chinese language version named "Template:Linktext" (Template:Lang-zh), officially extending their service in China.<ref name="reuters140225">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner acknowledged in a blog post that they would have to censor some of the content that users post on its website in order to comply with Chinese rules, but he also said the benefits of providing its online service to people in China outweighed those concerns.<ref name="reuters140225"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since Autumn 2017 job postings from western countries for China aren't possible anymore.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2016, a Moscow court ruled that LinkedIn must be blocked in Russia for violating a data retention law which requires the user data of Russian citizens to be stored on servers within the country. The relevant law had been in force there since 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This ban was upheld on November 10, 2016, and all Russian ISPs began blocking LinkedIn thereafter. LinkedIn's mobile app was also banned from Google Play Store and iOS App Store in Russia in January 2017.<ref name="verge-linkedinapprus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="moscowtimes-upheld">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In July 2021 it was also blocked in Kazakhstan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In October 2021, after reports of several academicians and reporters who received notifications regarding their profiles will be blocked in China, Microsoft confirmed that LinkedIn will be shutting down in China and replaced with InJobs, a China exclusive app, citing difficulties in operating environments and increasing compliance requirements.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2023, LinkedIn announced that it would be phasing out the app by 9 August 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Account banning

Without giving its users any prior notice, Linkedin has been removing accounts that do not follow its criteria since 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Open-source contributions

Since 2010, LinkedIn has contributed several internal technologies, tools, and software products to the open source domain.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Notable among these projects is Apache Kafka, which was built and open sourced at LinkedIn in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Research using data from the platform

Massive amounts of data from LinkedIn allow scientists and machine learning researchers to extract insights and build product features.<ref>Sumbaly, R., Kreps, J., & Shah, S. (2013). The big data ecosystem at linkedin Template:Webarchive. In Proceedings of the 2013 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data (pp. 1125-1134). ACM.</ref> For example, this data can help to shape patterns of deception in resumes. Findings suggested that people commonly lie about their hobbies rather than their work experience on online resumes.<ref>Guillory, J., & Hancock, J. T. (2012). The effect of Linkedin on deception in resumes Template:Webarchive. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(3), 135-140. (ResearchGate)</ref>

See also

• Business network
• Employment website
• List of social networking services
• Reputation systems
• Social network
• Social software
• Timeline of social media

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
• Template:Official website