Microsoft to Acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 Billion

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Microsoft has acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, marking one of the biggest tech mergers in recent memory and giving the software giant a firm foothold in the online professional world.

The move is easily the largest by Microsoft (it bought Nokia for $7.6 billion in 2013 and Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011), and marks its largest entry into the social media realm (it bought Yammer for $1.2 billion in 2012).

LinkedIn was founded in 2002 and grew into the largest professional social network, with 105 million active monthly users and more than 433 million accounts.

Microsoft announced the deal in a blog post on Monday morning.

In an email to staff, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted the pairing as a way to improve both companies by integrating LinkedIn’s content and network with Microsoft’s cloud computing and productivity tools.

“This combination will make it possible for new experiences such as a LinkedIn newsfeed that serves up articles based on the project you are working on and Office suggesting an expert to connect with via LinkedIn to help with a task you’re trying to complete. As these experiences get more intelligent and delightful, the LinkedIn and Office 365 engagement will grow,”Nadella wrote.

“The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centered on connecting the world’s professionals,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in the blog post. “Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.”

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Pusha T Links Up With Uncle Jay for New Song, “Drug Dealers Anonymous” Super Fire J’s Verse is Super LIT

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Pusha T released the first single off of his upcoming King Push album with a track called “Drug Dealers Anonymous,” featuring Jay Z. In the song the Brooklyn rapper took aim at Tomi Lahren, the political commentator who criticized Beyonce in a rant where she said, “Your husband was a drug dealer,” adding, “For 14 years he sold crack cocaine.”

Jay struck back at Lahren in the line, “B**** I been brackin’ since the ’80s/Google me baby, you crazy/’89 in London pull the Benz up/Type it in, Google’s your friend bruh/14-year drug dealer and still counting.”

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Pusha T focused on life’s luxuries in his verse, as he rapped, Valentino summers and wave runners/Chains on my n****s like slave runners/Drug dealers anonymous/How many Madonnas can that Mazda fit?/My brick talk is more than obvious, it’s ominous/Garages, the phantom, ghouls, ghosts and goblins/Blonde mohawk the collection I’m Dennis Rodman.”

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Baller Gang Money LeBron James Nike Deal Tops A Billion Dollars

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Last December, Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James signed a lifetime deal with Nike, the largest deal in the history of the company. Aside from continuously breaking records on the basketball court, the NBA baller has allegedly catapulted his baller status by over a billion bucks.

James’ business manager Maverick Carter, who negotiated the ballerific Nike deal, recently sat down with GQ Magazine to reveal new information. Initially, Carter held his tongue, claiming he was not allowed to disclose the actual figure. However, when GQ questioned the validity of Kanye West’s assumptions of a billion dollar deal in his song “Facts,” Carter smiled and pointed one finger upwards, suggesting the figure is higher.

“It’s a fantastic deal. Nike feels great about the deal. That’s the most important thing. As great as I feel, as great as LeBron feels – Nike feels fantastic about it,” he continued. “Their hope is he makes even more. And our hope is that, too, obviously.”

Between James’ elite basketball skills leading the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals and potentially, the NBA finals and Carter’s baller negotiation abilities, it’s safe to say the James family will be set for life.

Read more: http://www.balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/that-s-baller-lebron-james-nike-deal-tops-a-billion-dollars

Michael Strahan Squares Up May Issue of Success Magazine

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Strahan is also on the cover of the May issue of Success magazine, which will be pushed out on social media starting tomorrow and hit newsstands April 12. Inside the issue, under the headline “You Can’t Stop Him,” regular contributor Jeff Vrabel does a great job of capturing Strahan’s natural effervescence, touching on everything from his subject’s childhood in Germany, to that Hall of Fame run with the New York Giants, to key excerpts from last fall’s tome Wake Up Happy, and more:

Strahan has a number of natural advantages for achieving all these things, and the first is probably his memory. He ascribes that to being the youngest of six kids, where observation was key to attention and survival. He also credits the Giants, who made him study a six-inch-thick playbook in training camp and plucked out particular pages in practices and on game days. “In football, you have to adjust without a second thought,” he says, “You have to remember that blitz, that call.” He claims a photographic memory for sacks, which is considerable when you count up how many he has to remember…

The second natural advantage is his work ethic, born into him and reinforced during his days in Germany. “It’s the little things,” he says. “When I’m done with GMA and get to Live, I make sure I change my entire outfit. Shoes, socks, tie, shirt, everything. You don’t want someone to look and go, ‘Man, I saw him wearing the same thing!’ That’s lazy to me. It’s very important in whatever job I do to be 100 percent present.”

Strahan is also about to add to his J.C. Penney menswear line with MSX by Michael Strahan, a companion “athleisure” collection arriving in stores just in time for Father’s Day. Vrabel, who has a second piece in the May issue about trying out meditation, spent time for the Strahan piece on the Live! set and also got some nice quotes from, among others, Howie Long.

Success magazine is in the midst of its own impressive growth. The magazine launched a full redesign with the October 2015 issue, has just added a podcast titled Success Insider and has seen between January 2015 and February of this year increases in digital subscriptions (147.4%), newsstand sales (18.1%) and print subscriber rolls (17.5%).

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Headquartered in Dallas, Success magazine was launched way back in 1897 as a manifesto by Orison Swett Marden

The C.O.O.L Champion of Our Livelihood

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The C.O.O.L. – short for Champion Of Our Livelihood is a comfortable street wear brand embracing the creativity and originality of urban youth. The urban men’s wear line promotes individuality and independence in all aspects of life from fashion to hobbies to career choices. The C.O.O.L. philosophy, good choices put you in position to win.

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Based in North Miami, The C.O.O.L. draws inspiration from urban culture, including iconic celebrities, movies and hip hop music. Established in 2012, the men’s street wear brand is available in a number of urban retailers and sneaker stores nationwide and has been worn by Dannell Ellerbe of the New Orleans Saints, Kodak Black, DJ Khaled, Plies and a number of Miami artists.

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