- Microsoft is abandoning LinkedIn in China
- The company will launch a China-specific app later this year
- The news comes after a Chinese internet regulator told LinkedIn in March to better regulate its content and gave them a 30-day deadline, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Microsoft announced Thursday it will shut down its local version of LinkedIn in China. LinkedIn was the last major U.S.-operated social network still operating in China.
LinkedIn launched in China in 2014 with limited features designed to adhere to stricter internet laws in the country. Microsoft said it would shut down LinkedIn due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.” Instead, Microsoft will launch a job search site in China that doesn’t have LinkedIn’s social features.
The news comes after a Chinese internet regulator told LinkedIn in March to better moderate its content and gave them a 30-day deadline according to people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Last month, the platform also blocked several U.S. journalists in China, citing “prohibited content” in their profiles. Profiles of academics and researchers have also been blocked on the platform in China in recent months.
The new platform, called InJobs, will not include a social feed or allow users to share posts or articles.
Data from Statista suggests that China is the company’s third-largest market. In July, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that LinkedIn contributes about $10 billion in annual revenue.
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion.
