LinkedIn denies WWDC stunt

LinkedIn is denying that its $25bn acquisition by Microsoft was timed to steal Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) thunder.

In an employee Q&A the business-minded social network provided to a US financial watchdog, LinkedIn says that it did not purposely announce the deal during the Apple developer conference as a way to steal attention away from the Cupertino giant.

"The announcement timing with Apple’s WWDC event was coincidental," LinkedIn says.

The Q&A also provides a loose timeline on the deal, noting that CEO Jeff Weiner had met Microsoft boss Satya Nadella three years ago at a summit event, but negotiations only began in earnest between the two sides in March this year. ®