Salesforce lost LinkedIn bidding war but made Microsoft pay $4.7 billion more

For all the glorious talk about the future, synergy, and joyous corporate harmony, Microsoft’s successful $26 billion bid for LinkedIn came down to the money and terms.
In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, LinkedIn disclosed the history of the acquisition process that at one point involved a total of five players, but ultimately resulted in just two bids.
Originally, Microsoft offered $160 per share, which would have valued LinkedIn at $21.22 billion. The filin