Comparing the LinkedIn VS WhatsApp purchase

Hindsight is 20/20 and at the time of its purchase, Whatsapp was largely unknown in the US, but now it's clear that Facebook made a defensive purchase to buy out a competitor against its Messenger and keep users within its platform (and correlation capabilities).

The motivation of the LinkedIn purchase is unclear as of yet. Unlike Facebook, Microsoft doesn't derive most of its revenue from advertising and analyzing user behavior. It's too early to see how it fits into their business goals, and it's premature to conclude it was a superior purchase.