While many people were beginning to think that LinkedIn was going the way of MySpace, the new changes to the site have rejuvenated this professional social network. Though it's apparent that LinkedIn took a page from Facebook in its design, you can also see how the encouragement of more interactions has led to more networking and career discussions.
With more people searching for jobs, LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for reaching out in one's market, helping to connect those who may not have connected before.
According to reports, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Bank of America have been chosen as underwriters for LinkedIn's IPO process. And while these reports can not be confirmed (or denied) at this time, it seems that LinkedIn is valued at approximately $2.2 billion, according to private shares being traded on a secondary market.
And, while it might be a broken record, Facebook might have something to do with the public offering of LinkedIn. If LinkedIn doesn't go public before Facebook (speculated to go public in the next few years), they might be done as a viable social media outlet.
However, LinkedIn does have a strong list of investors: Sequoia Capital, European Founders Fund, Goldman Sachs, and more. To date, it's estimated that LinkedIn has raised $103 million from investments.
Going public might be the way that LinkedIn stays in the social network game, but they need to do it fast since time is certainly not on their side.
