HomeWinBuzzer NewsLinkedIn Cancels Watch Party for Apple’s WWDC in Wake of Microsoft Buyout

LinkedIn Cancels Watch Party for Apple’s WWDC in Wake of Microsoft Buyout

Microsoft’s $26 billion purchase of LinkedIn still has wet ink on the contracts and already the network is picking sides by dropping its WWDC watch party.

-

stunned the tech and business industries today with the news it has acquired enterprise networking platform LinkedIn. The first action for under Microsoft's wing was to cancel its WWDC viewing party set for today at its San Francisco headquarters.

WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) is, of course, 's big yearly shindig, a conference akin to Microsoft's Build where Apple talks about its software and features. LinkedIn had set up a watch party that was due to happen today, but the company has now pulled out and apologized to those who planned on attending.

“We will be canceling this week's WWDC Live Streaming hosted at LinkedIn's San Francisco office. We hope you are able to find alternative accommodations and apologize for any inconvenience.”

It is actually an interesting move because it is essentially the business-focused social network showing its allegiances to its new parent, Microsoft. Needless to say, Apple and iOS remain huge markets for the company, but LinkedIn is not going to cozy up to Cupertino with a WWDC watch part just hours after Microsoft dropped $26.2 billion to buy the company.

As for Microsoft, its allegiances are already set in stone, but the company is still having its own WWDC watch party, which we discussed this week. The event will be happening the same time the company unveils its Xbox plans for the next year at E3. However, Microsoft has plenty of vested interest in iOS considering how many services it now has on the platform.

The acquisition of LinkedIn caught just about everyone off-guard, it was completely unexpected. Rumors this year have centered on Microsoft potentially forking out on business-communication giant slack, or internet company Yahoo.
With Redmond buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash, it will almost certainly be the largest business transaction of the year.

Which event will you be watching today, WWDC or E3?

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

Recent News