Why buying Pulse would be a big change for LinkedIn

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LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner has said in the past he is interested in bringing content to his professional network that helps people improve their business and further their careers. (Bloomberg photo)

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Cromwell Schubarth

Senior Technology Reporter- Silicon Valley Business Journal

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If LinkedIn buys news-reading startup Pulse, it could mark a shift in what CEO Jeff Weiner has said in the past about his goals for content on the online professional networking company.

Two reports in All Things Digital on Monday said LinkedIn is about to buy Pulse, a news reader that pulls in a broad spectrum of sites from BBC News to TMZ and Sports Illustrated. It has 20 million users who read an average of 10 million stories a day.

One report says LinkedIn is one of a number of suitors and another saying it's a done deal at a price of between $50 million and $100 million. LinkedIn declined to be interviewed about what it called "rumors" when I contacted them about the reports.
Buying Pulse would be a new direction for Weiner, whose company focuses on professional development and business people, if he buys it to expand the content LinkedIn provides. In fact, Weiner told me late last year, "I see LinkedIn as being a platform that enables professionals to become more productive and successful. We’re a platform that enables our professional members to leverage us in all kinds of ways as opposed to being a principal in terms of content creation."
And he strengthened that stance in the company's most recent analyst call last month, Weiner said the company is making "strong traction" in providing "professionally relevant content."
"We think that’s going to create a very strong platform and very valuable context for large enterprises, for small and medium sized business who want to target and engage with professionals," Weiner told analysts.
Weiner's company rolled out two new content sources in the past year, LinkedIn Today and Influencers. One serves up headlines and content relevant to a user's profession and interests. The other offers blogs penned by prominent people, with Virgin founder Richard Branson being the most popular.

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