
The new year is hitting LinkedIn with both good and bad news! Its revenue is steadily growing and Premium subscriptions are to “blame”. At the same time, the network is going through another lawsuit. Last but not least a new report about the job market – once again AI-centric – has also come out! Read on for all the details.
LinkedIn Shows Steady Growth in Revenue
The professional network has reached a major milestone, generating over $2 billion in Premium subscription revenue in the past 12 months, marking a 50% growth in two years. Overall, LinkedIn’s revenue increased by 9% year-over-year, though Microsoft, its parent company, sees faster growth in AI-driven business lines.
Premium subscriptions now account for around 12.5% of LinkedIn’s estimated $16.2 billion revenue. “Building a $2B revenue subscription business is something only a handful of digitally native companies in history have ever accomplished. We’re focused on designing and continuing to iterate on a model that is value-oriented to meet the needs of our subscribers – those who want to accelerate their career or grow their business. We bet big on our investment in AI tools to help our subscribers accelerate how they connect to opportunity, and it’s paying off”, stated Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn’s CEO, highlighting the company’s success.
Despite this achievement, LinkedIn expects slower future revenue growth in the “low- to mid-single digits,” primarily due to headwinds in its Talent Solutions division. All of this was reflected in Microsoft’s latest earnings report.
Another Lawsuit Hits LinkedIn
LinkedIn is facing a class-action lawsuit from Premium users who claim the platform shared private messages without consent to train AI models. The lawsuit, filed in San Jose, California, alleges that LinkedIn quietly updated its privacy policy in September 2024, allowing data usage for AI training and later revealing that opting out would not prevent past data use.
The case follows another legal challenge LinkedIn settled in August 2024, when the company agreed to a $6.625 million settlement over allegations of inflating video ad view metrics to overcharge advertisers. In that case, LinkedIn denied wrongdoing but agreed to an external audit of its ad metrics for two years.Now, the new lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract and privacy violations, with LinkedIn denying all allegations. The case emerges amid increased scrutiny over AI data usage, coinciding with Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s $500 billion U.S. AI investment announcement.
AI Reshaping Careers: Job Market Trends for 2025
The job market in 2024 remained sluggish due to economic caution, with slow hiring, lower turnover, and increased competition. However, nearly 60% of professionals globally are actively seeking new jobs in 2025. LinkedIn has once again tried to predict what they can expect from the market in the upcoming year in their latest Work Change Report.
AI continues to accelerate workplace transformation, with professionals today expected to hold twice as many jobs over their careers compared to 15 years ago. AI adoption is expanding roles, boosting productivity, and increasing demand for adaptive talent – those who blend technical expertise with human skills. However, 63% of HR professionals report a skills mismatch between job seekers and industry needs, as skills for jobs are projected to change by 70% by 2030.
Key trends from LinkedIn’s Work Change Report:
- AI-Specific Jobs Are on the Rise: Artificial Intelligence Engineer is among the fastest-growing jobs in 15 countries, ranking #1 in the Netherlands, Singapore, UK, and US.
- AI Skills Are Spreading Rapidly: The percentage of LinkedIn members adding AI skills to their profiles has grown 20x since 2016. Adoption is accelerating across industries, with Financial Services leading at 40x growth, and even Education, the slowest adopter, seeing a 14x increase.
- AI Boosts Business Growth: 88% of C-suite executives prioritize AI adoption, and 51% of businesses using Generative AI report revenue growth of 10% or more.
As AI becomes a permanent fixture in the workplace, businesses that embrace it are already seeing early wins – helping employees move from repetitive tasks to high-value work like sales, recruitment, and relationship-building. While the transition won’t happen overnight, those who adapt early will gain a competitive edge in the evolving job market.
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