LinkedIn closes its app in China

The US giant is shutting down the local version of its social network, called InCareer, due to a competitive environment deemed too complicated. It was the last American tech group to maintain such a presence in the Chinese market.

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LinkedIn, the professional social network that has been owned by Microsoft since 2016, announced on Tuesday that its latest app available in China, called InCareer, is coming to an end. “After careful consideration, we decided to end InCareer as of August 9, 2023,” the social network said in a statement.

The group says it is “focusing its strategy in China to help companies operating there recruit, communicate and train abroad. This will mean maintaining our Talent, Marketing and Learning businesses.” But InCareer will be phased out. Faced with a multitude of particularly innovative local applications, LinkedIn’s has not been able to impose itself. “Despite our initial progress, InCareer faced fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate, which ultimately led us to make the decision to discontinue service” in China, says LinkedIn. According To Echoes.

Dissident accounts withdrawn

The Chinese social media adventure had started off well. Present in China since 2014 with a version adapted to the local market, LinkedIn had experienced in the country a rapid growth favored by a network culture where professional relations are a primary place. The IT giant Microsoft was one of the few American Internet companies that managed to impose a social network in China despite censorship and strict local regulations.

To survive in this complicated market, Microsoft had chosen to comply with its draconian rules through a local joint venture. In recent years, the social network has been criticized for removing dissident accounts and deleting politically sensitive content from its pages.

A “challenging” operational environment

But in 2021, the group signed its first setback in the Chinese market: citing a “challenging operating environment” and “greater requirements for compliance with the regulations in force,” the business contact champion had made its LinkedIn app inaccessible in mainland China.

LinkedIn was replaced by a local, simplified version, called InCareer, which allowed local professionals to continue to find and apply for jobs and stay connected to their network. But this new version clearly failed to convince the Chinese.

Tech giants banned from the country

Microsoft was the last American tech pillar to have a legal and sustained presence on the Chinese Internet. Driven to block all unwanted content and topics deemed politically sensitive online, the other tech giants have deserted the country for many years.