LinkedIn is set to be closed in China, according to Microsoft, due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements.”
Microsoft replaces LinkedIn in China with a new platform called InJobs
The company announced its decision in a blog post, LinkedIn will be replaced in China with a new app called InJobs that has some of LinkedIn’s tools but no social feed or posting capability.
“Our decision to launch a localized version of LinkedIn in China in February 2014 was driven by our mission to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. We recognized that operating a localized version of LinkedIn in China would mean adherence to requirements of the Chinese government on Internet platforms.”
In March, LinkedIn announced that it would stop new member sign-ups in China due to regulatory issues.
Microsoft bought LinkedIn for just over $26 billion in 2016 and has worked to build a presence in China despite concerns about online censorship.
For more than a decade, Facebook and Twitter have been prohibited in China. In 2010, Google left the country in response to a hacking incident and censorship. Amazon has a presence in China, but it is largely dominated by local businesses like Alibaba.
