- Microsoft is exploring new ways to engage a younger audience on LinkedIn, including through the recent launch of LinkedIn Stories, similar to the disappearing photo and video format popular on Snapchat and Instagram.
- “As population ages, we do need to make sure that both the younger population, as well as the older population, can both find the economic opportunity,” CEO Satya Nadella said during the company’s Dec. 2 shareholders’ meeting.
- Microsoft notably lost out on a big chance to engage younger users through its attempt to acquire video app TikTok when owner ByteDance ultimately chose to do a deal with Oracle. That deal is still up in the air.
- Are you a Microsoft employee? Contact reporter Ashley Stewart via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email (astewart@businessinsider.com).
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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company is exploring new ways to engage a younger audience on LinkedIn, including through the recent launch of LinkedIn Stories, similar to the disappearing photo and video format popular on Snapchat and Instagram.
When an investor during Microsoft’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday asked how Microsoft plans to engage younger users on its professional social network, Nadella said that this is a priority for LinkedIn.
“As population ages, we do need to make sure that both the younger population, as well as the older population, can both find the economic opportunity,” Nadella said, echoing LinkedIn’s stated goal of helping people further their careers and businesses to hire the right talent.
“That’s really the pressing need of our times, and we are very focused on that, specifically for some of the younger folks who are joining LinkedIn. We’re making sure, for example, the engagement tools, like the News feed, have new modalities,” he said.
LinkedIn launched Stories in September, allowing users to post short videos outside the regular newsfeed that last for only 24 hours. It’s similar to features found in Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and more recently, Twitter.
Microsoft notably lost out on a big chance to engage younger users through its attempt to acquire video app TikTok when owner ByteDance ultimately chose to do a deal with Oracle. Analysts in July, when Microsoft’s bid first became public, told Business Insider a TikTok acquisition could help Microsoft gain favor among younger generations.
“The rising generations are very attached to this platform,” Futurum Research analyst Daniel Newman said at the time, while Microsoft was still in the running. “Microsoft has the opportunity to be the hero here.” It could be a “future-proofing” method for Microsoft to win over the next generation of consumers.
Now, under new LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, Microsoft is turning to new features to win over younger customers, at least where its professional social network is concerned.
Roslansky led the company’s first major redesign in the past five years and the pandemic is bringing record levels of job seekers to the professional social network, according to the company, as nearly 40 million people use LinkedIn each week to search for jobs.
Do you have insight to share? Contact reporter Ashley Stewart via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email (astewart@businessinsider.com).
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