It's LinkedIn's 20th birthday this year, and what a ride it's been!

Back in 2003, social media for work was skeptical. 20 years later, LinkedIn is synonymous with networking, and it's gaining traction. LinkedIn has changed preexisting assumptions and made not having a profile a weird career move.

In addition to being professional, LinkedIn offers a safe harbor from toxic and polarizing social platforms. The pandemic and its aftermath have reshaped work, and LinkedIn has been there to help workers and employers succeed.

LinkedIn is a rare example of a company that did well after being bought despite the current tech downturn. It was purchased by Microsoft for $26.2 billion in 2016 and allowed to chart its own course. There are more than 4,500 job applications on the platform today, and eight people are hired every minute. Its revenue surpassed $14 billion in the past 12 months, close to quadruple the figure at the time of acquisition.

Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn's co-founder and first CEO, says, "The less exciting turtle does win the race sometimes. We just kept going." To tell LinkedIn's improbable story, dozens of eyewitnesses, including founders, key employees, early users, independent observers, and current executives were interviewed. Their comments have been edited for length and clarity.
To read more about LinkedIn's impact, read Fast Company's companion oral history on how it turned its alumni into one of the tech industry's most impressive startup factories. Congratulations, LinkedIn, on 20 years of success!

here is Fast Company interesting article about how linkedin became linkedin

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