LinkedIn ( / l ɪ ŋ k t ˈ ɪ n / ) is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps . Launched on May 5, 2003, [5] it is mainly used for professional networking , including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs . As of 2015, most of the company's revenue came from selling access to information about its members to recruiters and sales professionals. [6] Since December 2016 it has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft . As of May 2020, LinkedIn had 706 million registered members in 150 countries. [3] LinkedIn allows members (both workers and employers) to create profiles and "connections" to each other in an online social network which may represent real-world professional relationships . Members can invite anyone (whether an existing member or not) to become a "...