LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest professional networking platforms, with over 800 million members globally as of 2022. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and acquired by Microsoft in 2016 for $26.2 billion in one of the largest tech acquisitions in history. But is LinkedIn actually based in the UK? Let’s take a closer look.
LinkedIn’s Global Presence
While LinkedIn’s global headquarters is located in Sunnyvale, California, the company does have a major presence in several countries around the world. As a multinational corporation, LinkedIn aims to serve professionals globally by providing a platform for networking, job searching, recruiting, and more.
Some key facts about LinkedIn’s global presence:
- LinkedIn is available in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
- The platform is available in 24 different languages.
- LinkedIn has offices in over 30 cities around the world, including locations in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and more.
- Some of LinkedIn’s largest international offices outside of the US include London, Dublin, Singapore, Sydney, São Paulo, and Tokyo.
So while the company’s headquarters and origins are American, LinkedIn has expanded significantly internationally over the past two decades. This global presence allows LinkedIn to connect professionals in markets worldwide.
LinkedIn’s Presence in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is one of LinkedIn’s largest markets outside of the United States. LinkedIn has had operations in the UK since it first expanded internationally in 2005. Today, LinkedIn has several offices and a substantial employee presence in the UK.
Some key facts about LinkedIn’s presence in the UK:
- LinkedIn’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) headquarters is located in London.
- LinkedIn has over 17 million members in the UK as of 2022.
- LinkedIn opened its first international office in London in 2005. This was their first office outside of the United States.
- LinkedIn currently has offices in London and Dublin, including a recently opened flagship office in London.
- LinkedIn employs over 1,000 people in the UK across its offices.
- Some of LinkedIn’s key UK teams include marketing, sales, engineering, design, finance, policy, and more.
So while not headquartered in the UK, LinkedIn does have a major presence in the country through multiple office locations and a large UK-based staff. The UK is strategically important to LinkedIn as one of the top global markets for the platform.
Key LinkedIn Executives and Departments Based in the UK
In addition to sales, marketing, and other customer-facing teams, LinkedIn also bases some senior leadership roles and key departments out of its UK offices.
- LinkedIn’s current Senior Vice President of Marketing Solutions for EMEA and LATAM is based in London.
- The Vice President of Public Policy for EMEA is located in London.
- LinkedIn houses its Trust, Safety, Advocacy, and Policy teams in its Dublin office. These teams shape platform safety and ethics policies.
- LinkedIn’s Content Partnerships team for EMEA is based in London, securing content deals with publishers.
- Other executives based in the UK offices include those overseeing marketing, communications, talent solutions, and learning solutions.
Having key decision makers and entire departments located in the UK enables LinkedIn to have leadership focused on the needs of European and global markets outside the US.
UK Headquarters for International Subsidiaries
LinkedIn has also established international subsidiary companies that are legally headquartered in the UK, even while LinkedIn itself is based in the US.
Two examples are LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company and LinkedIn Singapore PTE. Limited. Both of these subsidiaries are legally based in the UK and Ireland but focus their operations on other markets.
Having international subsidiaries headquartered in the UK allows LinkedIn to more flexibly structure its global businesses across various countries for legal and tax purposes. So in some technical senses, parts of LinkedIn’s international presence are “based in the UK.”
Public Data on LinkedIn’s UK Presence
Public business data provides additional verified information showing LinkedIn’s substantial presence in the UK:
- LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company is registered in the UK with Companies House as a private limited company. It is classified as a non-EEA company and subsidiary of LinkedIn Corporation (USA).
- LinkedIn has active UK trademarks for both the LinkedIn name and logo, indicating its business operations in the country.
- LinkedIn is registered as a data controller with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), necessary for companies processing data of UK users.
- Several dozen LinkedIn company pages on LinkedIn itself list locations in the UK.
Official company registries and databases confirm that while founded and headquartered in the US, LinkedIn does indeed have an established legal entity and presence in the UK as well.
Recruitment, Events, and Users Show a Strong UK Presence
Beyond offices and corporate registrations, LinkedIn’s strong presence in the UK is evidenced through recruitment, hosted events, and millions of users.
- LinkedIn frequently recruits for open positions located specifically in the UK on its LinkedIn Jobs portal.
- In 2022, LinkedIn hosted a large in-person event for marketers in London, showing investment in UK-focused marketing activities.
- LinkedIn reports 17 million registered members in the UK as of 2022. This large UK user base generates revenue and data for LinkedIn.
- Major UK brands maintain active LinkedIn pages and recruit via LinkedIn Jobs to reach UK-based candidates.
LinkedIn is deeply embedded in the UK talent, recruitment, and marketing landscape based on its high adoption by professionals, companies, and recruiters in the region.
LinkedIn Offers Some UK-Targeted Services
LinkedIn has products and services that are tailored specifically for the UK market and professionals:
- Users can select “UK” as their location when creating a LinkedIn profile.
- Job seekers can browse UK-based job listings posted by recruiters and companies.
- Users can join region-specific LinkedIn Groups like “Marketing Professionals UK” and “HR Professionals UK.”
- Companies can choose to target their LinkedIn ad campaigns exclusively to UK members who meet selected demographics and profile attributes.
- LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda) offers UK-centric courses, such as “Digital Marketing Foundations: UK Edition.”
While LinkedIn is a global platform, these region-specific features and targeting options reveal how the company is optimized to serve UK users and customers.
LinkedIn Complies with UK Laws and Regulations
Operating in the UK means LinkedIn must comply with various UK laws and government regulations covering areas like:
- Data protection and privacy
- Competition and antitrust
- Consumer rights
- Accessibility
- Advertising codes
- Hiring and recruitment
- Workplace equality and non-discrimination
LinkedIn states its commitment to complying with all applicable laws in the regions where it operates. Having to comply with UK-specific regulations is another example of how LinkedIn has established a UK presence.
The Close Relationship Between LinkedIn and Microsoft in the UK
As a subsidiary of Microsoft since 2016, LinkedIn also has a close relationship and integration with Microsoft’s substantial UK presence:
- Microsoft operates LinkedIn’s UK data centers as part of its broader UK cloud infrastructure.
- LinkedIn partners closely with Microsoft’s UK sales team to market Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn integrations to UK enterprises.
- LinkedIn advertises open roles that are based at Microsoft’s UK offices and campuses.
- Microsoft has advertised positions integrating LinkedIn more deeply into Microsoft products for UK markets.
- LinkedIn articles and influencer posts frequently promote Microsoft products like Dynamics 365 for UK audiences.
Microsoft has over 6,000 employees in the UK, so LinkedIn’s alignment with Microsoft necessitates strong UK coordination as well.
Does LinkedIn Have a Formal UK Headquarters?
While LinkedIn maintains an extensive UK presence, it does not have a formal “headquarters” located in the UK in the same sense as its Sunnyvale, California global headquarters. LinkedIn’s UK offices are focused on the EMEA region rather than company-wide operations.
Some indications that LinkedIn lacks a true UK headquarters:
- LinkedIn’s registered address with Companies House lists an office building but not an exact office number.
- No addresses are designated specifically as UK headquarters on LinkedIn’s Contact Us page or About Us page.
- LinkedIn’s UK offices are smaller regional satellite offices rather than a corporate nerve center.
- LinkedIn’s senior executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, etc) are all based at the California headquarters.
Additionally, LinkedIn’s Contact Us page lists the California headquarters as the sole global headquarters location. Therefore, while LinkedIn has a major UK presence, California remains its formal corporate headquarters.
Conclusion
In summary, while LinkedIn operates globally, it is not specifically headquartered in the UK. LinkedIn’s corporate headquarters and place of founding is in Sunnyvale, California. However, LinkedIn does have an extensive presence in the UK, including:
- UK offices in London, Dublin, and other cities
- Over 1,000 UK employees
- UK-based executive leadership and key departments
- Millions of UK users and marketplace participants
- Legal entities registered in the UK
- Targeting of products and services for UK professionals
- Compliance with UK laws and regulations
So while LinkedIn is not technically based in or headquartered in the UK, the UK does represent a critical market and is home to a material portion of LinkedIn’s global operations and workforce. LinkedIn’s large UK presence supports the company’s growth outside of the US.