SEC filing from LinkedIn acquisition reveals five suitors

By Harrison Kaminsky Published July 3, 2016

microsoft linkedin integration ms 2016 06 12 1 c — Microsoft

News of Microsoft’s groundbreaking $26.2 billion move to acquire LinkedIn last month rocked both the tech world and the market, but deeper details of the deal didn’t clear up until this weekend.

Documents filed with the SEC on Friday revealed that there were at least five total corporations interested in buying up the business-oriented social network. Of course the eventual winner, Microsoft, was one of the five, but the other four remain unnamed in the filings. However, Bloomberg has reported that Salesforce might have been one of the interested parties.

Recommended Videos

Aside from providing sparse information on the alternate, failed acquisitions, it also detailed how Microsoft and LinkedIn ultimately worked out the deal.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Last February, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner met to talk about how the two companies could act more symbiotically in their business dealings, and the idea of a potential acquisition was thrown around for seemingly the first time.

The thought must have stuck for Weiner, because he began meeting with other companies — which Recode has since identified as Google and Facebook.

Business Insider reports that both tech giants dropped out eventually — Party B (Google), preferred to pursue a commercial partnership rather than acquire it, and parties C (unknown) and D (Facebook) chose to drop out after finding the price tag would be too high.

Microsoft and Salesforce eventually entered a bidding war, with Salesforce pitching between $160 and $165 per share, half stock and half cash. Microsoft tossed in an all-cash $160-per-share offer, with Salesforce answering with $171 per share, again splitting it in cash and stock. Microsoft’s monstrous bankroll allowed them to offer $172 per share, all in cash, the documents reveal.

Microsoft of course ended up winning out, hauling $196 per share in cash at the company. If it ends up somehow ditching the agreement, the company will be required to pay a hefty $725 million termination fee.

Topics

Harrison Kaminsky

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Harrison’s obsession in the tech space originated in his father’s electronics store in Denville, New Jersey, where he…

Branded Content

Dashlane simplifies digital credential management for people, teams and businesses

Dashlane credential management tool for teams featured image

Have you ever considered a credential management tool for your team or business? Allow me to explain. When it comes to digital and online safety, something you hear often is never to share your credentials, account details, or passwords with anyone. You're not supposed to share account details or passwords, even with people you know well. That's not necessarily because they can't be trusted, it's more that you never know how someone else will handle your sensitive information. If they stow it somewhere easily accessible, like in a plain text document on their desktop, it weakens your security and makes your accounts more vulnerable. Plus, there’s no telling who they’ll share that information with.

Keeping your logins to yourself is also how you’re advised to protect professional or business accounts in the workplace. But it makes things more difficult, especially when you’re working with a team. Sometimes, you need tool or platform logins to be available to everyone. There is a much better way to administrate password sharing, and most importantly, it doesn’t compromise security. The answer is a digital credential management tool like Dashlane.

Branded Content

Thanks to Squarespace Refresh website building has never been more intuitive

squarespace refresh makes web building intuitive featured image

When it comes to building and designing your own website, from scratch, there is a lot of trial and error involved. Believe me, I've been there. But what's more important as an entrepreneur and when you're trying to present your business, big or small, is that the presentation has to be decidedly professional. It needs to be attractive and user-friendly, with easy access to everything that's most important for your business. Whether that's a section to browse available products, checkout, learn more about you and the team, or something else entirely. It's a lot of work and requires a lot of time invested. It's so much easier to have a templatized and convenient builder handy.

That's precisely where you can turn to something like Squarespace, which makes it so much easier to build the website of your dreams. But even more exciting is Squarespace's 2024 Refresh announcement. A product showcase, the brand says it creates a "new era for entrepreneurs." From new design tools with AI-powered features to enhanced business solutions to bring your business websites to the next level, the goal is to elevate your experiences and those of your visitors or customers. Let's take a closer look.

Computing

The 10 best VPN services for 2024, reviewed by experts

Surfshark VPN on Mac protecting user data.

You rely on the internet to stay connected to friends, family, and coworkers, monitor the news, shop, pay bills, and more. That makes privacy and security more important than ever, and a virtual private network (VPN) is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to hide your location and safeguard your online activities from unwanted network intruders.

But if you're having trouble choosing the right VPN service for your budget and security needs, don't worry: We can help. Below, you'll find a list of the best VPNs around. Our comprehensive guide to the best VPN services covers pricing, features, and all the information you need to make an informed decision.