Microsoft Buys LinkedIn Corp. For $26.2 Billion

Microsoft Corp. will pay $196 a share in an all-cash deal to purchase LinkedIn, reports SoCalTech. In April of last year, LinkedIn spent $1.5 billion to acquire Carpinteria’s Lynda.com. The LinkedIn deal is the largest acquisition in Microsoft history; more than tripling the tech giant’s 2011 purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion. Downtown private equity firm Capital Group Cos. Inc. holds a 3.8 percent stake in LinkedIn though its Capital World Investors portfolio, according to LinkedIn’s most recent proxy filing.

Snapchat Rolls Out Expanded Ads

Venice’s Snapchat announced its plans to put commercials in a more prominent position and simplify the process of buying an ad, reports the Los Angeles Times. Users can expect 10-second ad spots to appear between stories, which are photo and video slideshows a user can share with their followers over a 24-hour period. Although ads on Snapchat can be skipped, they do cover the entire screen when shown, differentiating them from ads on rival services such as Facebook.