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LinkedIn revenue rises in fiscal Q2; appeals European fine

LinkedIn revenue rises in fiscal Q2; appeals European fine

Craig Johnson
| January 30, 2025
LinkedIn office front
ID 326624608 | Linkedin © Tupungato | Dreamstime.com

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Revenue at LinkedIn rose in the quarter ended Dec. 31, though talent solutions results were slightly below expectations, parent company Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced on Jan. 29. Microsoft also reported it is appealing a decision by the Irish Data Protection Commission’s to fine the company over the handling of personal data in Europe.

“LinkedIn revenue increased 9% with continued growth across all lines of business,” Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said in a conference call with analysts. “In our talent solutions business, results were slightly below expectations, driven by continued weakness in the hiring market in key verticals.”

Talent solutions includes LinkedIn’s recruitment tools.

Overall, LinkedIn revenue was $4.59 billion in Microsoft’s fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31.

Microsoft also noted in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that LinkedIn in November 2024 appealed a decision by the Irish Data Commission to the Irish courts. The commission had fined LinkedIn €310 million (US$334.3 million) in October 2024 over its handling of personal data. The company is alleged to have contravened several parts of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, according to the Commission’s announcement.

Looking ahead, Hood said LinkedIn revenue is expected to grow in the low- to mid-single digits in Microsoft’s fiscal third quarter.

“Although we expect growth across all businesses, the [second-quarter] trends in talent solutions should continue in [the third quarter] as a headwind to growth,” she said.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted in a conference call with analysts that comments are up 37% year over year on LinkedIn, and short-form videos are continuing to show growth.

LinkedIn Premium surpassed $2 billion in revenue for the first time this quarter, Nadella noted.

“Subscriber growth has increased nearly 50% over the past two years, and nearly 40% of subscribers have used our AI features to improve their profiles,” he said.

Total Microsoft revenue rose 12% year over year to $69.6 billion.