Salesforce.com to Press Regulators to Block Microsoft-LinkedIn Deal
September 29 2016 - 4:24PM
Dow Jones News
By Rachael King
Salesforce.com Inc. said it would press regulators in the U.S.
and Europe to block Microsoft Corp.'s $26.2 billion acquisition of
LinkedIn Corp. The deal raises antitrust issues, the company
said.
"Microsoft's proposed acquisition of LinkedIn threatens the
future of innovation and competition," Burke Norton, Salesforce's
chief legal officer, said in a statement.
In June, Salesforce.com lost out on a bid for LinkedIn when
Microsoft announced its deal to acquire the social network with a
membership of over 450 million professionals.
Salesforce.com said a deal would give Microsoft exclusive
control over information about LinkedIn's membership. If the deal
were completed, Microsoft could deny competitors access to the
data, obtaining an unfair competitive advantage.
Salesforce.com vowed to fight the deal, taking an unusually
proactive and public stance early in the acquisition process.
"We intend to work closely with regulators, lawmakers and other
stakeholders to make the case that this merger is anticompetitive,"
Mr. Norton said.
Write to Rachael King at rachael.king@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 29, 2016 16:09 ET (20:09 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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