Independent Auction House
The Evening Sale
Professional Networking Platforms — Four Important Lots
LinkedIn vs Alternatives · 2025
Lots 1–4 · Estimates on Request · No Reserve
LOT 1
💼 LinkedIn
Professional networking platform on digital substrate, 2003–present. Microsoft Corporation (acquired 2016, $26.2B).
Provenance: Reid Hoffman, Sunnyvale, Calif., 2003. Allen Blue, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Eric Ly, Konstantin Guericke (co-founders). Acquired by Microsoft Corp., December 2016. Currently the cornerstone of the Microsoft professional portfolio.
The most significant work in the professional networking canon. Over one billion registered users across more than two hundred markets make this the single most widely distributed piece in its category. The composition includes identity portraiture, employment dynamics (eight placements per minute), the Sales Navigator study, InMail correspondence, the LinkedIn Learning series, a content feed mural of considerable ambition, and the Company Pages archive. Revenue exceeded fifteen billion dollars in 2024. Free to view; premium access from $29.99 per month.
Notable Collections
ProfilesJob BoardRecruiterSales NavInMailContent FeedLearningPagesPremium $29.99+Recruiter $170+
"The masterwork. No other lot in this evening sale approaches the scale, complexity, or provenance. The content feed mural is showing signs of AI overpainting, and the premium viewing fees continue to appreciate — but the work remains without peer in its field."
Condition / Restoration Notes
- Content mural showing AI overpainting in recent layers
- Exhibition algorithm favours high-frequency lenders
- Premium viewing fees appreciating ($29.99–$99.99+)
- Organic patina fading under corporate conservation
- Provenance documentation shared with Microsoft registry
LOT 2
🔍 Indeed + Glassdoor
Employment aggregation platform with transparency companion, 2004/2007–present. Recruit Holdings.
Provenance: Paul Forster & Rony Kahan, Austin, Tex., 2004. Glassdoor: Robert Hohman, Tim Besse, Rich Barton, 2007. Both acquired by Recruit Holdings, forming the pre-eminent employment search pair.
A paired work of remarkable economy. The primary piece draws three hundred fifty million monthly viewers with a composition of pure functional directness — zero decorative passages. The Glassdoor companion adds the appraisal notes the masterwork omits: employer valuations, salary figures, and interview documentation. Free admission for all viewers.
Notable Collections
Job SearchResumeAI MatchSalary DataReviewsInterviewsQuick ApplySponsored $
"The functional counterpoint. Where Lot 1 rewards sustained contemplation, this paired work rewards decisive action. The Glassdoor companion adds provenance notes the masterwork's catalogue suppresses. Zero decorative merit — but for the employment collector, the fastest acquisition in the sale."
Condition / Restoration Notes
- Zero decorative or social exhibition value
- Glassdoor appraisal notes may include stale attributions
- Sponsored lots may displace organic placements
- Not suited for permanent collection display
- Viewer data accessible to paying consignors
LOT 3
🚀 Wellfound
Startup employment platform with transparent valuation, 2010–present. Formerly AngelList Talent (renamed 2022).
Provenance: Naval Ravikant & Babak Nivi, San Francisco, Calif., 2010. Originally catalogued as AngelList Talent. Reclassified as Wellfound, 2022. Specialist startup provenance.
A specialist work of exceptional transparency. Eight million collectors survey over one hundred fifty thousand startup offerings — each with salary and equity valuation displayed openly in the catalogue. This level of declared value is unmatched in the current market. Direct communication with the artists (founders). This lot does not appear in the main evening sale catalogue — startup collectors only.
Notable Collections
Startup JobsInvestorsSalary OpenEquityFounder DMRemoteFeatured $
"The connoisseur's find. No other lot in this sale publishes its full valuation in the catalogue. Extraordinary in the startup gallery — completely invisible from the main saleroom floor. A secondary market acquisition, not a headline lot."
Condition / Restoration Notes
- Exhibited only in the startup gallery wing
- Much smaller collector base than Lots 1 or 2
- Some pieces at early (unauthenticated) stage
- Not catalogued in the main sale publication
- Social exhibition infrastructure underdeveloped
LOT 4
🤝 Meetup + Lunchclub
In-person networking events with AI curation, 2002/2019–present. Mixed media: human interaction on physical substrate.
Provenance: Scott Heiferman, New York, N.Y., 2002 (Meetup). Vladislav Moldavskiy, 2019 (Lunchclub). Combined: the only work in this sale executed in physical space with live audience participation.
The only performative work in this evening's sale. Fifty-two million participants across one hundred ninety venues attend two million live events annually. Lunchclub provides AI-curated seating — pairing each collector with a complementary guest. LinkedIn is the auction catalogue. This lot is the moment the hammer falls and you turn to the person beside you. No employment content. Just the irreproducible experience of being in the room when it happens.
Notable Collections
IRL EventsAI Matching1:1 MeetingsLocal GroupsVirtual + IRLGoal-BasedOrganiser $20+
"The experiential lot. No photograph, no catalogue entry, and no digital reproduction can convey the quality of this work. It must be experienced in the room. The highest-rated lot by those who were present. Invisible to those who were not."
Condition / Restoration Notes
- No employment or career content in the work
- Must be viewed in person (no reproductions)
- Venue hosting costs $20+/mo for curators
- AI seating accuracy varies by venue
- Geographic constraints on exhibition sites
"No single lot completes a collection. Lot 1 for the masterwork, Lot 2 for the decisive acquisition, Lot 3 for the connoisseur's transparency, and Lot 4 for the only work that must be experienced in the room. The hammer has fallen."
All names trademarks of their respective owners ·
Sale date 2025 · Results subject to buyer's premium
For informational purposes only · Not professional advice ·
Independent auction · No consignor affiliation ·
Going, going, gone