On April 9th, LinkedIn announced its purchase of Lynda.com for $1.5 billion, with an expected close date in the second quarter of this year. According to a release from the company, most Lynda.com employees will join LinkedIn as part of the deal. Both companies seem to be thrilled about the merge and are boasting about big things to come.
Lynda.com is a privately owned online education company that offers thousands of video courses in software, creative and business skills. All videos are taught by top industry experts who are passionate about teaching. Since its birth it has been a go-to site for online education.
“This is a moment in history when people can learn anytime, anywhere, and with no boundaries. We believe in LinkedIn’s future stewardship and vision, and feel that we have found a perfect cultural fit for our mission. We are thrilled to be part of something bigger than ourselves, and look forward to helping more people learn the skills that are needed in today’s rapidly changing economic landscape.”
–Lynda Weinman (Cofounder of Lynda.com)
“We get so excited about the possibilities that could come from the integration of lynda.com and LinkedIn. Imagine being a job seeker and being able to instantly know what skills are needed for the available jobs in a desired city, like Denver, and then to be prompted to take the relevant and accredited course to help you acquire this skill. Or doing a search on SlideShare to learn about integrated marketing and then to be prompted with a lynda.com course on the same subject.”
–Ryan Roslansky (head of content products at LinkedIn)
This video explains a lot of the new amazing opportunities this acquisition will bring to people around the world.