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Salesforce Pushes Regulators To Block Microsoft's LinkedIn Deal (cnn.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sour-grapes dept.

Salesforce is urging the European Union to take a closer look at Microsoft's takeover of LinkedIn as EU regulators ask questions on how the software giant could use AI to exploit data from LinkedIn's professionals. Chief Legal Officer Burke Norton said Salesforce plans to tell European and U.S. antitrust officials it has concerns about the acquisition. From a CNN report:"Microsoft's proposed acquisition of LinkedIn threatens the future of innovation and competition," Burke Norton, chief legal officer at Salesforce, said in a statement. "By gaining ownership of LinkedIn's unique dataset of over 450 million professionals in more than 200 countries, Microsoft will be able to deny competitors access to that data, and in doing so obtain an unfair competitive advantage. [...] We intend to work closely with regulators, lawmakers and other stakeholders to make the case that this merger is anticompetitive," he added. The European Commission is reaching out to multiple companies as part of a review of the pending acquisition. Salesforce's comments came in response to this, according to Chi Hea Cho, a spokeswoman for Salesforce.

6 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. they're just sore.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    because they lost out on buying linkedin for themselves.

  2. Sour grape by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Great topic!

  3. Mhmm Sure... by nickberry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    These fuckboys at salesforce are just pissed off they couldn't afford the premium Microsoft paid.... Salesforce would do the same exact thing they're accusing Microsoft of doing if they had bought LinkedIn.

  4. And this is why... by CCarrot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...I'm not on LinkedIn.

    By gaining ownership of LinkedIn's unique dataset of over 450 million professionals in more than 200 countries, Microsoft will be able to deny competitors access to that data, and in doing so obtain an unfair competitive advantage

    That 'data' is the career info and personal details on millions of hopeful job seekers, and they'll use it for what, exactly? "Oh, looks like Johnson just got a raise, time to start throwing ads for luxury vehicles at him!" Or "Smith is on mat leave, start spamming her with childhood educational assistance program ads!"

    I did sign up for an account once about a decade ago...and deleted it after about a week. The sheer volume of bullshit that I got spammed with was unbelievable. It took quite some time to stem the flow again (pretty much had to pretend I died for a couple of years...). For a service advertised as 'for professionals', they sure act anything but.

    --
    "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
  5. Who wants what out of LinkedIn by Dracos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    SalesForce might actually want LinkedIn as a business unit.

    However, I think MS is only in it for the user data, as with Skype and, to a degree, Mojang. MS is desperate to get user data like Apple and Google has. But MS has no idea how to build a community or connect with consumers, so they have to collect user data by either surreptitious means (Win10) or by buying it through business acquisitions.

  6. Everyone is missing the point... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle are competing for the next artificial intelligence (AI) system, which requires large data sets to train properly. LinkedIn and Twitter have large data sets.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-joins-race-for-artificially-intelligent-business-software-1474241982