LinkedIn Learning is an American online learning provider. It provides video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills. It is a subsidiary of
LinkedIn
LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...
. All the courses on LinkedIn fall into four categories: Business, Creative, Technology and Certifications.
It was founded in 1995 by
Lynda Weinman
Lynda Susan Weinman (born January 24, 1955) is an American business owner, computer instructor, and author, who founded an online software training website, lynda.com, with her husband, Bruce Heavin. Lynda.com was acquired by online business net ...
as Lynda.com before being acquired by LinkedIn in 2015.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
acquired LinkedIn in December 2016.
History
LinkedIn Learning was founded as Lynda.com in 1995 in
Ojai
Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, as online support for the books and classes of
Lynda Weinman
Lynda Susan Weinman (born January 24, 1955) is an American business owner, computer instructor, and author, who founded an online software training website, lynda.com, with her husband, Bruce Heavin. Lynda.com was acquired by online business net ...
, a special effects animator and multimedia professor who founded a digital arts school with her husband, artist Bruce Heavin.
In 2002, the company began offering courses online. By 2004, there were 100 courses, and in 2008, the company began producing and publishing documentaries on creative leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs.
In 2013, Lynda.com received its first outside investment, raising $103 million in growth
equity
Equity may refer to:
Finance, accounting and ownership
* Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them
** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business
** Home equity, the dif ...
from
Accel Partners
Accel, formerly known as Accel Partners, is an American venture capital firm. Accel works with startups in seed, early and growth-stage investments. The company has offices in Palo Alto, California and San Francisco, California, with additional ...
and
Spectrum Equity
Spectrum Equity is an American growth equity firm that invests in businesses related to the information economy. The company operates out of offices in Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA. The company was an early investor in Ancestry.com and Grubhub ...
, with additional contributions from
Meritech Capital Partners
Meritech Capital Partners is an American Venture Firm company focused on late-stage venture capital investments in information technology companies with a focus on consumer Internet and media, software and services, enterprise infrastructure, an ...
. On January 14, 2015, Lynda.com announced it had raised $186 million in financing, led by investment group
TPG Capital
TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American investment company based in Fort Worth, Texas. The private equity firm is focused on leveraged buyouts and growth capital. TPG manages investment funds in growth c ...
.
On April 9, 2015,
LinkedIn
LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...
announced its intention to buy Lynda.com in a deal valued at $1.5 billion, which officially closed on May 14, 2015.
In 2016, Lynda.com began to broadcast courses on their
Apple TV
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
application.
On June 13, 2016,
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
announced that it would acquire Lynda.com's parent company LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. The acquisition was completed on December 8, 2016.
In October 2017, Lynda.com was merged and renamed ''LinkedIn Learning''. In 2019, the site announced that users accessing LinkedIn Learning through their
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
would be required to create a LinkedIn profile in order to use the service; the decision faced criticism from
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
s and the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
. As of March 2021, libraries started migrating to LinkedIn Learning without requiring patrons to create a LinkedIn profile.
On June 2, 2021, the lynda.com site was shutdown and is now permanently redirected to LinkedIn Learning.
Acquisitions
In February 2013, Lynda.com acquired video2brain, an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n-based provider of online classes in web design and programming, available in German, French, Spanish, and English.
On April 7, 2014, Lynda.com purchased Canadian startup Compilr, provider of an online editor and sandbox.
Service details
LinkedIn Learning is a subscription service that costs $40/month or $25/month if paid annually (as of 2021). It has a catalog of 16,000+ courses and learning paths.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
LinkedIn
American educational websites
Educational technology companies of the United States
Education companies established in 1995
Internet properties established in 1995
Virtual learning environments
1995 establishments in California
2015 mergers and acquisitions