LinkedIn, the professional social networking site, just bought Lynda for $1.5 billion. For those of your not familiar with Lynda, it is a platform that provides online courses similar to AccountAcademy, Coursera, and Udemy. Basically, you can access thousands of courses on all sorts of different topics; and, pretty much, learn any skill that you want. Not too long ago, I did a podcast interview with the chief human resources officer at LinkedIn, Pat Wadors, who is also speaking at our Future of Work Forum on April 29th in San Francisco. We had a long conversation about the future of HR, and it is very interesting to see this latest development. A lot of people are speculating about what this means -- why did LinkedIn buy Lynda? There are some really great posts that have been written about this, but I wanted to share my insights. I think this is huge move -- a "genius" move. We join LinkedIn to connect with others, to find jobs or to recruit. In this episode of the Future in Five I talk about LinkedIn as the professional social networking site, and its role to employers and employees. I talk about the "skills gap." Could this acquisition be the bridge that allows LinkedIn to close that gap? So, out of curiosity, have you ever taken a course through Lynda? Do you use LinkedIn for professional networking? Would you find it valuable if LinkedIn offered you courses that help you become a better candidate for that job? I think the next 12-18 months are going to be very interesting to watch. Tune in and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Jacob Morgan is a futurist, best-selling author and keynote speaker, learn more by visiting The Future Organization.com or check out his latest book,"The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders and Create a Competitive Organization," on Amazon.