LinkedIn Buys Lynda for $1.5 Billion

Professional network LinkedIn has acquired Lynda.com, an online learning company founded in 1995 by instructional book author Lynda Weinman and co-founder Bruce Heavin. The acquisition is valued at $1.5 billion, with 52 percent of the payment to be made in cash and the remaining 48 percent in stock. According to a press release, the deal is expected to close sometime in the second quarter of the year.

What does Lynda.com offer?

Lynda.com has been enabling users to learn business, technology, software, and creative skills via online tutorial videos from industry experts and veterans well before e-learning was considered a big deal. The website is available for anyone to access on their own, with special subscriptions offered to corporations and schools. It has become the most frequently visited resource for online education with respect to key learning areas such as Photoshop, basic HTML, CSS, management practices.

What does the acquisition mean for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn views the access to information and knowledge as the key to making professionals more productive and successful. The company envisions a future in which aspiring professionals can not only be made aware of skills required for relevant positions, but can also gain immediate access to those skills by taking courses offered via the social network.

With Lynda.com becoming a part of the LinkedIn family, it will now work as a catalyst that will enable professionals around the world to accelerate their careers and realize their potential through the learning and development of new skills.

What will it all cost?

Currently, students and professionals seeking membership at Lynda.com can pay $25 a month for short-term memberships or sign up for an annual subscription for $350, with unlimited access to project file downloads. It is expected that LinkedIn will come up with a combined membership plan down the road that aligns the services and pricing systems of both companies.