On an offering like this I always like to look at the use of proceeds, which is the argument (investment thesis) used with investors to try and convince them to

On an offering like this I always like to look at the use of proceeds, which is the argument (investment thesis) used with investors to try and convince them to subscribe to the offering. In this case they are pretty vague: "increase our financial flexibility and to further strengthen our balance sheet". Still, "international expansion" and "acquisition[s]" are mentioned. Nonetheless I believe they will be a bit more explicit when meeting funds and investors during bookbuilding. One final thought: LinkedIn's share price is an all time high, with no fundamentals to support it. This to me is a signal that management believes that share price has peaked (or is about to) and now is the right time to fill the coffers with cash with minimal shareholder dilution. Good move, lets see how the market plays it.