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Salesforce CEO Told LinkedIn He Would Have Paid Much More Than Microsoft (recode.net)

Posted by msmash on from the aftermath dept.

Ina Fried, reporting for Recode: It was already known that LinkedIn chose a potentially lower all-cash acquisition offer from Microsoft rather than take on the uncertainties of a stock-and-cash deal from Salesforce. But now it has been revealed that Salesforce might have been willing to go "much higher" than Microsoft's $26.2 billion, or change other terms of its bid, had it been given the chance. In a filing with regulators on Friday, LinkedIn said a board committee met on July 7 to discuss an email from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. "The email indicated that Party A would have bid much higher and made changes to the stock/cash components of its offers, but it was acting without communications from LinkedIn," LinkedIn said in the updated filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

8 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. And the real value is probably half by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...of nothing.

  2. What I want to know is by gijoel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will linkedin spam everyone on Microsoft's address book, to invite them to join Linkedin?

    1. Re: What I want to know is by konohitowa · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm going to guess that he didn't fall for it, but that his wife did.

  3. cycle of life by e**(i+pi)-1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Cycle of life for social network companies: start-up builds up a large user base using free services, indicating a business model with optional services, selling out to a big fish, big fish digests it, squeezing out its gut. Big fish removes free services more and more, adding advertisement. User jumps to new free service. Alternatively: start-up becomes big fish and lives from eating other alive communities, remaining the big fish, as there are no alternatives.

  4. We probably dodged a bullet. by boondaburrah · · Score: 2

    I'm not sure I would be able to handle *Force and linkedin under the same roof. That's too much corporate sketchiness in one place. Granted MSFT isn't a whole lot better, but they're slightly more obvious in how they work.

  5. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How the fuck is LinkedIn worth $26 billion?

    1. Re:What? by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      How the fuck is LinkedIn worth $26 billion?

      It is worth what the market bears. Your question should be; Why does the market bear so much?

  6. Huh? by c · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft buying LinkedIn for as much as they did was batshit. We're supposed to believe that Salesforce is even further out there and brought more money?

    --
    Log in or piss off.