--- description: LinkedIn is shuttering a localized version of its professional networking platform in China, citing a challenging operating environment. title: Microsoft Shuts Down LinkedIn in China, Citing ‘Challenging Operating’ Climate image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90e5920da601ab58/698a1dc922fb854703e2ca38/linkedin-china-shut-down.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Microsoft Shuts Down LinkedIn in China, Citing ‘Challenging Operating’ Climate by [Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 14, 2021 6:33 PM CUT  LinkedIn logo seen at the entrance to LinkedIn EMEA Head Office in Dublin. LinkedIn logo seen at the entrance to LinkedIn EMEA Head Office in Dublin.Artur Widak—NurPhoto/Getty Images by [Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 14, 2021 6:33 PM CUT Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn is shuttering a localized version of its professional networking platform in China, becoming the last major U.S. social media provider to pull out of the country. LinkedIn said it made the decision in light of “a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.” The company will close the current version later this year, LinkedIn said in a blog post Thursday. After entering China in 2014, LinkedIn seemed to offer a model for American Internet companies to break into the country. In exchange for that privilege, the company agreed to restrict some content to adhere to state censorship rules. The service had about 52 million users on mainland China. Other social media platforms like Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. have long been banned. **Read More:** [_Here’s What to Know About China’s Sweeping Tech Crackdown_](https://time.com/6094156/china-big-tech-regulation-us/ "undefined") Signs of turbulence for Microsoft emerged in March. LinkedIn said then that it had paused new member sign-ups for its China service while it worked to ensure it was in compliance with local law. LinkedIn said its new strategy for China is to focus on helping local professionals find jobs in the nation and to help Chinese companies find quality candidates. Later this year, it will introduce InJobs, a new standalone jobs application for the country. The site won’t include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6107057/linkedin-china-shut-down/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6107057/linkedin-china-shut-down/"},"headline":"Microsoft Shuts Down LinkedIn in China, Citing ‘Challenging Operating’ Climate","datePublished":"2021-10-14T18:33:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:52:31.035Z","description":"The move makes the platform the last major U.S. social media provider to pull out of the country","url":"https://time.com/6107057/linkedin-china-shut-down/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","News","wire","Londontime","biztech2030","bloomberg wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90e5920da601ab58/698a1dc922fb854703e2ca38/linkedin-china-shut-down.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt90e5920da601ab58/698a1dc922fb854703e2ca38/linkedin-china-shut-down.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Multinational Companies Based In Dublin","caption":"Multinational Companies Based In Dublin","creditText":"Artur Widak—NurPhoto/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6107057/linkedin-china-shut-down/","name":"Microsoft Shuts Down LinkedIn in China, Citing ‘Challenging Operating’ Climate"}}]}] ```