The NewYorkTimes.com reported that LinkedIn claims “since 2020 it has doubled its membership to over 1.3 billion users, and has raised its revenue to more than $19 billion annually, the site said.” The June 4, 2026 article entitled “Is LinkedIn Entering Its Post-Cringe Era?” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/business/linkedin-social-media-influencers.html) failed to failed to mention the 2016 $26.2Billion Microsoft investment in LinkedIn (https://news.microsoft.com/source/2016/06/13/microsoft-to-acquire-linkedin/) but Reporter Isabella Kwai did make some interesting comments:
The platform began in 2003 with the mission of “connecting the world’s professionals.” In the years since, users have relied on it to network, stay up-to-date with job listings and share their résumés. As on other social networking sites, users could post thoughts, links and photos, though the focus was decidedly on careers.
That hasn’t changed, at least according to the people who help run the site. LinkedIn is not trying to be a “normal social media network,” said Daniel Roth, its editor in chief. “The idea is: help people connect to economic opportunity.”
LinkedIn would not disclose the number of users who are active monthly, unlike some social media platforms. But a 2026 survey by Statista, a market data and research company, reported that 18 percent of about 60,000 people used the site regularly — far below the number of regular users on Instagram but on par with Reddit.
Still, browsing LinkedIn today can turn up the kind of videos, sponsored content and memes reminiscent of other media platforms. Has all this expanded its appeal, or undermined its central mission?
As a big user of LinkedIn, I found this article interesting.
First published at https://www.vogelitlaw.com/blog/microsoft-paid-262billion-for-linkedin-in-2016-and-now-some-folks-say-that-linkedin-is-in-the-post-cringe-era