Linkerd is an open-source service mesh designed to simplify the management of microservices in cloud-native applications. It provides features like traffic management, observability, and security, allowing developers to focus on building applications without worrying about the complexities of service communication. By deploying Linkerd, organizations can enhance the reliability and performance of their services. It helps in monitoring service interactions, handling failures gracefully, and securing communication between services, making it a valuable tool for teams adopting Kubernetes or other container orchestration platforms.