Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has now sent an email to LinkedIn employees, commenting on the company's decision to acquire the business-themed social network. Nadella also posted another statement on the deal on the LinkedIn website. Microsoft plans to pay $26.2 billion for LinkedIn and the deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, pending regulatory approval.
In his email, Nadella also reprinted the initial message he sent to Microsoft employees in February 2014 when he first became CEO of Microsoft. Here is Nadella's full email to LinkedIn employees:
LinkedIn Team,
I am flying back to Seattle more energized and inspired after spending the day on your Mountain View campus and talking with many of you. From the moment I met Jeff I knew he was a special leader creating a special place at LinkedIn — your sense of purpose is palpable. A few years ago one of my mentors shared the idea that we spend far too much time at work to not find deep meaning in what we do. I sense you all feel that at a profound level too. I know that you came to LinkedIn to make a difference in the world, and I want you to know that I believe that, working together, we can make an even bigger and more positive difference in the future.
Jeff, Reid, Qi and I have started dreaming about what we ca do together. I like that Reid calls today a re-founding moment and Jeff so clearly sees how Microsoft can help LinkedIn achieve the mission you relentlessly pursue. I have spent a lot of time learning about LinkedIn while also reflecting on how networks can truly differentiate cloud services. Over the past decade we have moved Microsoft Office from a set of productivity tools to a cloud service across any platform and device. This deal is the next step forward for Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we connect them to the world's largest and most valuable professional network — LinkedIn. I know we'll invent new ways to help professionals achieve more as we reinvent selling, marketing and talent management business processes. Please take a look at the presentation Jeff and I shared earlier with investors and the email I shared with the Microsoft team today.
As we get to know each other better, I thought it would be helpful to share with you the email I sent to my team a few years ago when I took on my new job. I wanted the team to better understand what motivates me and the opportunity I see for Microsoft. Most of all, I wanted to start the process of rediscovering our soul. As you learn more about us, I think you will find many commonalities in our culture and purpose as well as how eager our team is to partner with you, to learn from you and — perhaps most important — to make a difference in the world with you.
Satya
In his post on the LinkedIn website, Nadella commented on his visit to the company's offices. Here is that message, again in full
What an amazing day on the LinkedIn campus.
For a few months now, Jeff Weiner, Reid Hoffman, Qi Lu and I have been dreaming about what Microsoft and LinkedIn could do together. It was clear early on that both Microsoft and LinkedIn are centered on a common mission – to empower people and organizations. This sense of purpose and mission is palpable all over campus.
I witnessed first-hand the LinkedIn team's relentless focus on delivering value to its members – something that will never change. We also know that by bringing together the world's leading professional cloud of Office 365 and Dynamics with the world's leading professional network of LinkedIn, we can deliver new delightful and intelligent experiences.
This morning in a public presentation, Jeff and I outlined how we will reinvent new ways to help professionals be more productive and also reinvent selling, marketing and talent management business processes. Think about it – how people find jobs, build skills, get work done and ultimately find success requires a connected professional world.
It requires a vibrant network that brings together a professional's information in LinkedIn's public network with the information in Office 365 and Dynamics. This combination will make it possible for new experiences such as a LinkedIn newsfeed that serves up articles based on the project you are working on and Office suggesting an expert to connect with via LinkedIn to help with a task you're trying to complete.
Of equal importance to this deal, is the distinct sense of purpose and culture that will define our path forward. Just as Microsoft employees joined the company to make a difference in the world, so did LinkedIn's employees – and together, I believe we can have an even greater impact in the future.
