What happened to Lynda?

If you're a professional looking for an online resource that can help advance your career, then the name Lynda might ring a bell. The company was founded by two former Stanford University students who wanted to create a place where people could learn new skills at their own pace and enjoy doing so. It's one thing if you want to learn how to code or write better resumes but another entirely when you need to become more familiar with business-related topics like marketing, sales, finance, leadership, or even basic accounting. 

The site has been around since 1999 and now boasts over 2 million users from all walks of life. That number doesn't include its millions of monthly visitors who come across the site via Google searches. When I first started using Lynda in 2012, there were about 100 different courses available. Today, they've grown into thousands, including everything from coding basics to advanced programming languages. There are also plenty of other resources available, such as YouTube videos, podcasts, books, and eBooks.

While many companies offer paid subscriptions to their training materials (like Udemy), Lynda offers them for free. Its main focus seems to be helping professionals grow and excel in areas that require specialized knowledge, which makes sense given that most of its users work in specific fields (such as IT). But what happens when someone leaves the workforce altogether and needs to brush up on some old skills before starting anew? What if they don't have access to a computer?

That's why Lynda recently made the transition from a standalone website to a mobile app called "LinkedIn Learning." Here's everything you should know about this move. And yes, while it still exists, Lynda.com is no longer updated regularly. So if you ever hear anyone say they use Lynda anymore, take note!

How much does Lynda cost?

Like any good education platform, Lynda costs money. You'll either pay $39 per month or sign up for a three-month trial period. If you decide not to continue after the trial ends, you will owe nothing. However, if you do choose to subscribe long term, you'll get a discount of 10 percent off each subsequent year until 2022. After that, prices go back up to normal.

As previously mentioned, Lynda offers free classes for nonpaying customers. These courses often cover similar topics to those found within paid offerings. They may not feature live instructors and instead rely on video tutorials to teach material. Some of these classes are short enough that they can easily be completed during lunch breaks or just before bedtime. Others provide additional support through forums or Q&A sessions.

I would suggest checking out several popular ones (or creating your own) because Lynda offers hundreds of options ranging from beginner to master level. Each topic is broken down further into subcategories so you shouldn't struggle to find something related to your job or personal interests. Plus, Lynda's library includes titles created by industry experts and published authors—allowing you to expand your skill set without having to worry too much about whether or not you're getting quality information.

Is Lynda course worth it?

It depends on what you're trying to achieve. For example, if you're hoping to improve your resume writing skills, Lynda provides several templates to start with. Or maybe you'd prefer to sharpen your social media skills. Either way, Lynda covers both topics well and gives you ample time to complete assignments and quizzes. This approach ensures you feel comfortable asking questions along the way and helps you grasp concepts quickly.

On top of that, Lynda's community features tons of helpful articles and tips to keep you motivated throughout your journey. In fact, it's easy to see why so many people turn to the platform every day for guidance.

You won't receive a certificate upon completion, but you'll definitely walk away knowing a lot more than you did before. And hey, if you finish early, you can always revisit later to try again.

Is LinkedIn Lynda free?

Yes, but only for certain accounts. If you already use Lynda on Facebook Messenger or Twitter, you can log in here. Otherwise, you'll need to make sure your account is verified so LinkedIn knows it belongs to you. Once that's done, head over to this page to register for a free 30-day trial.

This option lets you explore the benefits of Lynda's services in order to determine if they align with your goals. If you like what you see, you can begin paying for a subscription right away. Otherwise, you can cancel anytime you wish.

It takes less than 5 minutes to complete the registration process and once you're signed up, you'll gain instant access to Lynda's entire catalog of courses. As stated above, there are lots of options covering nearly anything you could imagine. Many of them allow you to watch lessons whenever it suits you best (within reason).

One downside is that you'll only be able to view content offline. Meaning, you won't be able to access Lynda from anywhere outside of Chrome. Still, this isn't necessarily a bad thing considering that you probably aren't going to be working on the same project 24/7. Also, you'll likely forget to download videos anyway.

How much is Lynda on LinkedIn?

When Lynda switched platforms in late 2018, it introduced a brand-new pricing structure. Previously, you had access to full courses for $20 per class. Now, however, you must purchase packages of five classes for $49 each. That means you can save almost 25 cents per lesson.

In addition to offering individual classes, Lynda also offers bundles. A bundle typically consists of four or five classes bundled together. Depending on the package you buy, you'll save anywhere between 20 and 50 percent compared to purchasing each class individually.

For example, let's assume you purchased a single course priced at $19.99. Then you bought the second course separately for $9.99. Since you spent $10 total, you saved roughly 40%. On the other hand, buying the bundle consisting of 4 + 1 = 5 courses would result in saving 75%, bringing your total savings to $15.75.

The beauty is that you can mix and match bundles as needed. You can combine 3-5 classes into a single bundle and save even more money. Plus, you can split your payments among multiple months or years depending on your budget.

The only caveat is that you can only apply discounts on purchases made directly through Lynda.com. Any purchases made elsewhere (i.e., Amazon) won't qualify for a price break.

Still, it's hard to complain when you consider that Lynda used to charge upwards of $60 per month for a limited selection of courses. Considering that the service continues to evolve alongside the digital landscape, it's understandable that prices have increased somewhat. But hopefully future changes will bring us closer to the original model.

And if you're wondering if Lynda has plans to return to its previous state, check out our guide below.

We hope this article helped answer your burning question: Is Lynda worth it? We personally think so. Even though Lynda.com is no longer being actively maintained, the vast majority of its content remains intact. In addition, you can still access Lynda courses on LinkedIn Learning. Just remember to verify your profile properly beforehand.

To learn more about the pros and cons of Lynda, check out our comparisons roundup. And if you really want to dig deep, read our review of Lynda versus Udemy.

In a blog post on December 3rd, 2018, Lynda announced that they would be shutting down their website and migrating all content over to the new platform called LinkedIn Learning. The site is still up but you can no longer access any content or download anything. This means if you're looking for a particular course or tutorial there's no way to find them unless you know where to look. 

After reading this article, I decided to see what was going on behind the scenes at Lynda. It turns out that while Lynda has been renamed LinkedIn Learning (or LLD) the company itself is still around as well as one of its subsidiaries which owns Udemy. So how exactly do these two companies work together? How have things changed since Lynda became part of LinkedIn Learning? And will everything stay the same after LLD goes public next year? Let's take a closer look.

Is Lynda gone?

Yes! As of January 2020, Lynda is completely dead and buried. There is not even an option left in your browser when visiting the URL linda.com/login/. Instead you are redirected to the homepage of LinkedIn Learning or LLD. If you try to go directly to the Lynda home page by typing "linda" into Google you'll get the following message from Bing:

So yes, Lynda is officially history. However, don't worry because it doesn't mean that the company is defunct. In fact, both Lynda and LinkedIn Learning are still very much alive and kicking. They just moved their primary branding away from themselves so that people wouldn't recognize the sites as being connected.

Is Lynda com now LinkedIn Learning?

Since moving to LinkedIn Learning, the site looks almost identical to before except for the name change. You might notice subtle differences like the logo or some small wording changes here and there. But overall it's pretty hard to tell the difference between the old and new websites. Both use the same theme and design language.

However, the biggest thing you should know about the transition is that the content is still available through the new platform. All of Lynda's library of videos, tutorials, classes, and more are still accessible via LinkedIn Learning. That means if you've ever wanted to learn something using Lynda products, you can still do that without paying a dime. Just log onto LLD and start browsing.

The only issue now is that the content isn't organized quite as nicely as it used to be. For example, if you were searching for a specific video series or product then maybe it won't appear right under the main search bar. Or perhaps you'll need to click on each section separately instead of having them grouped together. These kinds of problems could potentially be fixed though depending on how much time and effort LinkedIn puts into improving the experience.

Another interesting note is that although the Lynda brand is gone, the actual domain name linda.com remains active. According to Whois records, the owner of linda.com is actually Linda McClellan who runs another business named Linda Weisman Media LLC. She also owns other domains like lindamcclelandmedia.com and lindamcclellanweisman.net.

It appears that the domain name originally belonged to her husband David Weinman who founded Lynda back in 1994. At first glance, it seems odd that she'd keep the domain name given that he sold his stake in Lynda to Microsoft back in 2003. However, according to Wikipedia, David Weinman had previously owned several businesses including Jigsaw Software and LINCsoft.

Perhaps this explains why Linda keeps the domain name despite selling off her interest in Lynda. It's possible that she simply didn't want anyone else controlling the domain name. Either way, regardless of whether or not she holds the title of sole owner, it appears that she does still own the domain linda.com.

How much did Linda com sell for?

As far as we know, nobody knows exactly how much money Lynda made per month or per year. But based on publicly-available information, it's safe to assume that the company must have brought in somewhere around $40 million dollars annually during its peak years. That number sounds high until you consider that most online education platforms make anywhere from $10-$20 per student per month. Then again, Lynda was known for charging premium prices compared to competitors like Pluralsight. Plus, the company spent millions of dollars marketing their services to attract students.

On top of that, many of those customers likely paid thousands of dollars upfront to purchase individual courses or subscriptions. The average price point for Lynda's products tends to hover below $300 so it makes sense that those customers were willing to pay such amounts.

But how much did Linda com sell for? Well, according to Forbes, the company's IPO filing valued the company at $1 billion dollars. Considering that the value of the entire internet market reached nearly $5 trillion last year, this valuation probably wasn't too shabby considering how popular Lynda was.

Unfortunately, none of this data is readily available. So unfortunately we can't say for sure how much revenue LLD generated during its peak years. What we can say is that LinkedIn bought out Lynda for roughly $1 billion in June 2016. Since then, Linda McClellan hasn't done much with the site aside from changing the URLs and removing the majority of the original content. Nowadays, LLD mostly consists of ads interspersed throughout each lesson.

When did LinkedIn buy Linda?

According to LinkedIn, the acquisition took place sometime in 2015. The exact date varies slightly depending on whom you ask. Some sources claim that the deal closed in October 2015 while others indicate that it may have taken place later that summer. Regardless, the transaction went live shortly thereafter.

To put things into perspective, LinkedIn acquired Lynda just months after acquiring Skillshare for $200 million. Given the similarities between the two brands, it's clear that LinkedIn saw the potential benefits of combining the two platforms into one entity. After all, it was already making good progress integrating Skillshare into its network by offering users the chance to earn points towards certain certificates.

With Lynda and Skillshare combined, LinkedIn offered users the opportunity to gain certifications for jobs ranging from Data Analyst to Web Developer. By doing so, the company hoped to boost the credibility of its employees and establish itself as a leader in eLearning training. With so many job positions requiring specialized skills, employers often struggle finding qualified candidates. To help solve that problem, LinkedIn was able to offer their members a convenient way to train for various career fields through these certification programs.

Now that the two companies are fully integrated, it's unclear exactly how long it will take for them to integrate their respective features. Although the process probably took less than six months, it's entirely possible that additional improvements might never come to light. For instance, Lynda's videos often featured links to external resources within the lessons. Those links usually directed viewers to YouTube channels or websites outside of Lynda.com. Because LLD doesn't allow for such integrations, it's possible that future versions of the platform will remove those references altogether.

Regardless, it's exciting to think about all the possibilities that lie ahead. Perhaps someday we'll see a version of Lynda that offers full support for mobile apps and smart devices. Maybe we'll eventually see a revamped Lynda.com featuring improved search functionality, better organization, and easier navigation.

For now however, it appears that LLD is focused on expanding beyond the standard desktop environment. In March 2021, the company plans to launch a separate app specifically designed for Android phones. Additionally, the team hinted that LLD might soon release an iOS app as well. So if you're interested in taking advantage of the latest technology trends, you might want to check back periodically.

While Lynda.com has certainly become a bit outdated, the company has proven that it's still capable of delivering quality educational materials. Even if it's not the Lynda.com everyone remembers, now that the brand is gone it shouldn't matter. As long as the content is still available, there's really nothing stopping you from continuing your studies using Lynda products.

Lynda is the second largest online education provider after Udemy. It offers thousands of video tutorials on topics ranging from programming to business and photography. Its biggest competitor is Udemy.

In June 2020, Lynda announced that they were migrating all users to LinkedIn Learning. This move caused confusion among its existing customers who are now wondering what happens next for their accounts. Here's everything you need to know about Lynda and how it will be impacted by this change.

When did Lynda become LinkedIn Learning?

LinkedIn acquired Lynda back in 2018 when it bought the company for $1 billion. At that time, Lynda was valued at around $2.5 billion (the same as Udemy).

The acquisition made sense because both companies share similar values. Both focus on helping people learn new skills through videos. That said, there wasn't much overlap between the two platforms.

LinkedIn had already been testing out some of Lynda’s tools like LinkedIn Learning and Lynda Professional before then. However, the platform has since integrated more into LinkedIn and removed most links to Lynda.com.

Now, Lynda seems to have merged with LinkedIn Learning altogether. You can still access Lynda courses directly via LinkedIn Learning but if you want to use Lynda features like your profile or account settings, you'll need to go over to Lynda.com. The only exception being Lynda Premium which remains available on both sites.

When did LinkedIn acquire Lynda?

After buying Lynda, LinkedIn continued developing the platform further. In addition to integrating Lynda products more fully into LinkedIn, they also added several new services including Lynda Pro ($25 per month), Lynda Studio ($10 per month) and Lynda Live ($200 per year). These allow subscribers to create custom classes using pre-recorded video lessons.

They've even created an app called Lynda Labs where teachers can build live coding sessions using code blocks.

Although LinkedIn hasn't shared many details about these changes yet, one thing that might be interesting is that LinkedIn has recently introduced a “Learning Lab” feature within each member’s profile. This gives them control over what kinds of training they receive based on their job title and interests.

For example, someone working in sales could choose to get more marketing related training than someone working in engineering would. However, LinkedIn doesn't let anyone sign up without a password so it isn't clear whether this is a paid service or something built into the platform itself.

There's no word yet on how long LinkedIn plans to keep the Lynda brand alive. Since LinkedIn owns the domain name, it may continue hosting the site indefinitely. But given recent moves towards self-service options, I wouldn't be surprised if the site gets shut down sooner rather than later.

Why did LinkedIn acquire Lynda?

It's hard to say exactly why LinkedIn decided to buy Lynda. One theory is that LinkedIn wanted to expand its professional network beyond LinkedIn’s own employees. Another reason might simply be that LinkedIn didn't see any opportunity to make money off of Lynda.

One big advantage Lynda enjoys right now is its large customer base. If LinkedIn wants to attract talent to its platform, having a huge number of current customers makes hiring easier. Plus, those customers are likely to spend money on other premium offerings too.

That's not to say that LinkedIn couldn't monetize Lynda in the future. For example, LinkedIn might decide to sell subscriptions to individual courses on the platform or offer Lynda branded apps on iOS devices.

But until then, LinkedIn probably sees little benefit in owning Lynda. When asked about the purchase last year, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner told CNBC "I don't think we're going to do anything with [it] today."

Is Lynda a LinkedIn?

So far, Lynda seems to have remained independent under LinkedIn ownership. But it wouldn't surprise me if that changed soon.

Weiner previously stated that he envisioned "all our products [being] inside LinkedIn"  by early 2021. So maybe there will eventually be a day when the entire Lynda experience becomes part of LinkedIn's suite of personalization tools.

At least for now, though, Lynda continues to operate independently. And while LinkedIn does take a cut of every subscription sold, it's unlikely that it will ever turn a profit on Lynda alone.

Even if it did, it'd be hard to justify spending billions acquiring such a small player. Instead, LinkedIn has focused on making sure that its own product offering stays relevant for years to come. As a result, its employees aren't distracted by worrying about competing against Lynda anymore.

Instead, they can concentrate on building better ways to help members advance professionally. Or perhaps LinkedIn just hopes that someday, someone else will pick up the slack.

Why did Lynda go away and what will happen next for the site?

In June 2018, Lynda announced that they would be migrating their platform to a new proprietary format called Lynda On Demand (LOD). This move was meant to improve customer experience by offering customers more control over how long videos are watched.

The company also said that LOD would allow them to add new features such as custom playlists and adaptive learning. The migration took place in three phases between July 1st 2018 and September 30th 2018. During this time, users were able to access all of the existing resources on Lynda.com using an Internet browser or mobile device.

However, once the final phase rolled out on October 31st 2018, only LOD-compatible browsers could view the old website. All other devices had to download the app instead.

At first glance, the transition seems like a success story for both Lynda and its users. However, there have been some major changes since then. In fact, things haven't gone according to plan at all.

Here's why...

1. Users Can No Longer Access Their Content From Mobile Devices

One of the most frustrating aspects about the migration process has been the inability for users to access their content via mobile devices. As you can see below, if you attempt to open an older Lynda course on your phone, tablet or Chromebook, you'll receive the following error message.

Sorry! We couldn’t find anything matching ‘[Course Name]’.

This issue affects everyone who used Lynda.com before the migration because it required users to install the desktop version of the website. Even though Lynda claims to offer a "mobile friendly" interface, many