DoorDash is buying Instacart for $17 billion. Its employees can’t add Instacart staff on LinkedIn
Source: Fortune ·
An internal Q&A filed with the SEC tells DoorDash staff to stay unconnected until the deal closes, which could be mid-2028, to avoid antitrust trouble.
From the source
DoorDash is spending $17 billion to acquire Instacart. But until the deal closes, its employees aren’t even allowed to connect with their future colleagues on LinkedIn. If an Instacart employee reaches out, DoorDash has a script ready: “Congrats! Looking forward to connecting after the deal closes.” Anything beyond that, the company says, needs approval from its legal team. The instructions come from an internal Q&A that DoorDash filed with the SEC on Oct. 29, the day the deal was announced. Employees should not send new LinkedIn connection requests to Instacart workers or accept requests from them, “even if you have a prior relationship.” Throughout the document, the company repeats that the two businesses must keep operating independently until the deal closes. That could take a while. DoorDash expects the acquisition to close at the end of 2027 or in the first half of 2028, subject to Instacart shareholder approval and antitrust reviews in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. That could…