Dive Brief:
- Microsoft is getting closer to finalizing its deal to acquire LinkedIn, according to Reuters.
- The company sought approval from the EU on Friday, the last major approval required for completion of the deal.
- Microsoft announced its plans to purchase LinkedIn for $26 billion in June. Antitrust regulators in the United States, Canada and Brazil have already approved the deal.
Dive Insight:
The European Commission reportedly plans to review the deal by Nov. 22.
Salesforce, which also bid on LinkedIn but lost the deal to Microsoft, asked the European Union to look into potential antitrust issues last month, complaining that the proposed merger does not allow for business competition to regulators globally.
The EU will review the case and can open a larger investigation if concerns arise. The EU has taken a stronger tact on data privacy and anticompetitive practice complaints over the last several years.
Earlier this month, LinkedIn reportedly asked other software makers to partner with them, offering to share a small amount of its data. The organization apparently did so to address complaints from Salesforce to the European Commission about Microsoft's purchase of LinkedIn.
