LinkedIn Shuts Down Israeli R&D Center, Lays Off Dozens of Employees

LinkedIn is closing its research and development center in Tel Aviv, Israel, resulting in the layoff of all but a few employees who will continue routine business operations. The center, which employed around 50 people, was established in February 2022 following LinkedIn's acquisition of Israeli analytics company Oribi for an estimated $80-90 million. Oribi, founded by entrepreneur Iris Shoor, specialized in no-code analytics and user behavior analysis.

The acquisition and establishment of the Israeli R&D center were led by LinkedIn's global chief product officer, Tomer Cohen. Although LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, the Israeli center operated as an independent entity separate from Microsoft's main development hub. The center focused on technology, engineering, and product development, integrating Oribi's technology into LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.

The Israeli team developed advanced measurement, attribution, and analytics tools that help advertisers and businesses on LinkedIn evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of their advertising campaigns. In response to inquiries, LinkedIn stated that these organizational changes aim to better position the company for future success by focusing teams and business efforts on the highest-impact priorities for members and customers.