How Microsoft and LinkedIn Can Make This Expensive Deal Work

As Microsoft officially swallows LinkedIn, it should have one goal: Make this acquisition different. The company has a track record of big buys gone south, and writedowns have topped $13 billion since 2012. The purchase of Nokia's handset unit seemed doomed from the start, but buying aQuantive, which made software for selling display ads on the web, seemed like a good idea-- yet it ended up being a costly mistake. Here's what Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella should do to keep the recently-completed LinkedIn deal from joining the ash-heap of M&A history.

1. Keep LinkedIn Chief Executive Officer Jeff Weiner -- and for more than the two to three years that acquired executives usually stick around. Weiner is wildly popular among the staff. He talks a lot about "managing compassionately:" When LinkedIn shares plummeted last February after a bad earnings report, he held a company meeting to ease everyone's fears. Then he gave up his $14 million stock award, instead distributing it to employees. He's also one of the few Silicon Valley executives who can speak about a corporate mission -- helping people find better jobs -- with enough sincerity for listeners to buy it.