LinkedIn and Facebook are two of the most popular social media platforms used for professional networking and connecting with friends and family. While they share some similarities in being social networks, LinkedIn and Facebook were founded separately and operate as independent companies.
The History of LinkedIn and Facebook
LinkedIn was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and went public in 2011. LinkedIn operates a social network specifically focused on professional networking and career development.
Facebook was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg along with fellow Harvard students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Facebook is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and had its IPO in 2012. Facebook operates a broad social networking platform for both personal and professional connections.
While both companies operate prominent social networks, they were founded and developed independently of one another. There is no affiliation between the creation and ownership of LinkedIn and Facebook.
Key Differences Between LinkedIn and Facebook
Although LinkedIn and Facebook are both social networks, there are some key differences between the platforms:
- LinkedIn is focused on professional networking and career opportunities, while Facebook is broader covering personal and professional connections.
- LinkedIn profiles emphasize resume-style information like work experience, education, and skills. Facebook profiles are more informal.
- The LinkedIn newsfeed prioritizes industry articles, professional content, and career updates. Facebook’s newsfeed has a much wider range of personal and public content.
- LinkedIn Groups focus on professional topics and industries. Facebook Groups cover a diverse range of interests.
- LinkedIn’s ad products are designed around recruiting talent and promoting businesses. Facebook offers advertising across many verticals.
The different approaches of each platform create distinct experiences and use cases for users, despite both being social networks.
LinkedIn and Facebook User Accounts
Having a LinkedIn account is entirely separate from having a Facebook account. Users can have profiles on one or both platforms using different email addresses and passwords. The accounts are not linked or dependent on each other in any way.
Some key facts about LinkedIn and Facebook accounts:
- You do not need a Facebook account to sign up for LinkedIn, and vice versa.
- Signing up for one platform does not automatically create or link an account on the other.
- Users manage their accounts, profiles, privacy settings, apps, and subscriptions separately on each platform.
- Deactivating or deleting an account on LinkedIn does not impact a Facebook account, and vice versa.
- You can use the same or different profile pictures and biographical info on each platform.
Maintaining separate LinkedIn and Facebook accounts gives users full control over their professional and personal social media presence.
Company Ownership and Operations
LinkedIn and Facebook operate as completely independent businesses in terms of ownership, management, and operations:
- LinkedIn is currently owned by Microsoft, which acquired the platform in 2016. Facebook has never had any ownership stake in LinkedIn.
- Facebook has its own executive leadership team led by Mark Zuckerberg. LinkedIn has its own executives and operates autonomously.
- The two companies have separate business models, revenue streams, and financial reporting.
- LinkedIn and Facebook have their own office headquarters and corporate campuses located in different cities.
- The technology, software, apps, and infrastructure are independently built and managed by each company.
While both networks provide APIs for third-party developers to integrate with their platforms, there is no behind-the-scenes partnership between LinkedIn and Facebook as businesses.
Partnerships Between LinkedIn and Facebook
Despite being completely separate companies, LinkedIn and Facebook have taken steps to integrate parts of their platforms and partner in certain ways:
- In 2008, Facebook apps like LinkedIn Maps and LinkedIn Polls were created to add LinkedIn data to Facebook profiles.
- In 2011, LinkedIn enabled sharing LinkedIn content through Facebook accounts.
- In 2012, Facebook enabled sharing career updates from LinkedIn directly to Facebook timelines.
- In 2014, LinkedIn enabled creating ads directly from Facebook ad accounts.
- In 2014, LinkedIn account credentials could be used for quick sign-up on Facebook.
- In 2017, Facebook Jobs was launched to rival LinkedIn for recruitment marketing.
While the two platforms have competed on certain offerings, they have also selectively partnered to provide account portability and make sharing professional content easier for users. However, the integrations are facilitated via APIs and do not reflect any common ownership or control.
Competitive Dynamic Between LinkedIn and Facebook
As leading social networks, LinkedIn and Facebook also have a competitive dynamic in some areas:
- Both companies aim to increase user engagement and time spent on their platforms.
- LinkedIn and Facebook sell digital advertising targeting their respective user bases.
- LinkedIn Learning and Facebook Business Education compete as paid online learning platforms.
- Facebook Jobs was launched to compete with LinkedIn for recruitment marketing and job listings.
- Facebook Workplace competes with LinkedIn as a social network within enterprises.
This competitive spirit drives product innovation that ultimately benefits users of both platforms. Each company aims to sustain its position as a top social network serving different user needs.
Conclusion
In summary, while LinkedIn and Facebook both operate large social networking platforms, they are completely separate companies without any common ownership or control. They were founded independently, have distinct business models and user experiences, and maintain autonomous operations. The two networks have selectively partnered in certain areas but also compete in others like advertising and recruitment marketing. Users can take advantage of each platform for different social networking needs without any direct affiliation between accounts on LinkedIn and Facebook.
