LinkedIn is to acquire the online learning business Lynda.com for about $1.5bn, as the social network expands offerings for its audience of professional users.
Lynda.com, a California-based company, has created hundreds of thousands of video tutorials in multiple languages, helping people to learn “software, technology, creative and business skills to achieve personal and professional goals”. Users pay a subscription of up to $375 a year to gain access to online courses that have been created by more than 1,000 authors.
Jeff Weiner, chief executive of LinkedIn, said the companies “are highly aligned . . . both companies seek to help professionals be better at what they do”.