LinkedIn recently announced a major milestone: The professional network now has 300 million members around the world.
But those millions didn't come easy.
After LinkedIn launched in 2003, it took the company almost a year and a half to win 500,000 members. In April 2004, the startup's tiny crew assembled in a room in Palo Alto, California, to celebrate the occasion with a photo.
Since then, LinkedIn employees have gathered to commemorate every milestone. At first, it was every million. Then the numbers started flying by — every 5 million new members, every 10 million.
Today, 67% of users come from outside the United States, and milestone photos are taken from all around the world.
LinkedIn shared an exclusive collection of historical photos from its archives with Business Insider, and those photos tell quite the story.
The first photo from April 2004: LinkedIn employees celebrate 500,000 members.
In 2005, LinkedIn employees celebrated 2 million members. That same year, LinkedIn started charging for job listings, and membership doubled by the end of the year.
In March 2006, LinkedIn hit 5 million members.
Then, there was a big jump, and LinkedIn employees celebrated 13 million members in 2007.
Co-founder Reid Hoffman was notoriously late for photos, so former executive Adam Nash constructed a life-size "Paper Reid" to stand in for him.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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