LinkedIn snaps up online learning platform Lynda.com for $1.94 billion

Social networking giant LinkedIn has announced it will acquire subscription-based online learning platform Lynda.com for $US1.5 billion ($1.94 billion).

It’s LinkedIn’s largest acquisition to date. In a statement announcing the move LinkedIn chief executive officer Jeff Weiner said the acquisition will help build the Economic Graph – LinkedIn’s ambitious plan to digitally map the global economy. That would involve building a profile for every business and worker on the planet and the skills required.

“The combination of LinkedIn and Lynda.com is the kind of fit that benefits everyone. LinkedIn has the members, the jobs, a unique understanding of the skills required to do those jobs, and a publishing platform that can be accessed by roughly 350 million people t share professionally relevant knowledge,” Weiner said.

“lynda.com’s service has the premium library of skills-based courses. Together, we can bring opportunities and access to knowledge that everyone deserves. And together, we can more easily build the Economic Graph by mapping together the people, jobs, skills and knowledge that are core components of it.”

Weiner says LinkedIn has been monitoring Lynda.com for some time and has long believed access to high-quality skills-based learning and development content should be a fundamental part of its platform.