LinkedIn is shutting down its research and development center in Israel and laying off its employees, according to ynet's sister publication Calcalist.
The Tel Aviv operation is estimated to employ around 50 people. After the layoffs, a small number of employees are expected to remain in Israel to handle ongoing business activity.
Eynav Mass, CEO of LinkedIn Israel
(Photo: Nimrod Glickman)
The center was established in February 2022 following LinkedIn’s first acquisition in Israel, the purchase of analytics startup Oribi for an estimated $80 million to $90 million.
Oribi was founded by Israeli entrepreneur Iris Shoor. The acquisition and establishment of the local center were led by Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn’s chief product officer.
Although LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, its Israeli development center was set up as a separate operation from Microsoft’s own R&D activities in the country.
The Tel Aviv center focused on technology, engineering and product development.
Following the acquisition, Oribi’s technology, which specializes in user-behavior analytics and no-code optimization, was integrated into LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.
The Israeli team has worked on measurement tools, conversion attribution and advanced analytics designed to help advertisers and businesses on the platform assess the return on investment from advertising campaigns.
In response to Calcalist, LinkedIn said the move was part of broader organizational changes.
“We are making these proposed organizational changes in some roles to best position ourselves for future success by focusing our teams and business on the highest-impact priorities for our members and customers,” the company said.