LinkedIn Might Cancel Me, But I'm Saying the Ugly Things out Loud
Happy 2026 and most importantly, happy Black History Month!
As someone who is proud of their culture, history and legacy, it's only right that I acknowledge it loudly and proudly! And following in that fashion, I'm going to get right into something that has been top of mind for me + needs to be said. LINKEDIN HAS A PROBLEM! I REPEAT, LINKEDIN HAS A PROBLEM!
I'm going to preface this now, quite a bit of what's in this post may feel personal but it's time to address the elephants (which may be AI-generated at this point) in the room. Anything discussed in this post is meant to do so from a place of genuine concern, curiosity, and support. And if anyone would like to chat about what's in this post please know that my inbox is always open as I welcome the opportunity for healthy dialogue.
Now with my disclaimers out of the way, back to the topic at hand — LinkedIn has a problem. I do realize that is a loaded statement and I promise I'll elaborate. For over the decade that I've leveraged LinkedIn, it's gone from being a professional platform, almost like Facebook for work, to a badly algorithm and AI-ridden cesspool. At times it's still crazy for me to fathom this shift because from 2017-2022 all of my jobs in corporate America were by way of LinkedIn. Yes, you read that correctly. Every single job I landed came from an organic connection and/or referral that came my way via LinkedIn. In today's job market that sounds like a fabrication or wishful thinking.
Over the years, I've witnessed the rise and self-destruction of LinkedIn. A platform that once provided a space to connect with peers and gain insight from a professional perspective quickly turned into a very messy mixture of cringey "Facebook-esque" posts combined with features from Instagram and TikTok. As someone who works in the tech space, I understand the game of "keeping up with the times" but LinkedIn has become um…interesting to say the least. And I can't completely blame the owners of the platform. Their users add to the cringe. So this is where I apologize in advance, but I have a few thoughts and questions around what I've been seeing lately. So I'm going to ask and say the ugly (read as honest) things out loud:
Starting with…*drumroll* insert "Ex-company" into LinkedIn headline — WHY ARE PEOPLE DOING THIS!? You served your time with that organization and that information is easily accessible within your LinkedIn profile and resume. Why is this a badge of honor? You don't go around saying "ex-spouse/partner to so and so" (well maybe some of you do, but that's not the point), so why do free promotion for a company that 9 times out of 10 eliminated your role and treated you like you were disposable? The amazing work ethic, talent, and skillset you possess are YOURS and YOU will carry that with you wherever you go. That company did not get your name in the room, you did. I challenge you to really evaluate why you feel the need to have "ex" any organization in your headline.
Number two, thanking companies that FIRED you. Once again, I pose the question of why? You can absolutely be grateful for your experience at a company but why thank them if you were removed or let go for circumstances outside of your control or against your will? Prospective employers aren't going to say "Oh this person put together such a thoughtful post about parting ways with the company that let them go. This is the type of employee we want to add to our team." It's also not going to get you your job back. Yes, I understand wanting to not burn bridges but the bridge was already burned, friend. Just like you were thankful for the opportunity, they were thankful for your underpaid labor and services. Please cut your ties and move on as healthily as possible.
Up next, adding irrelevant photos for the sake of the algorithm. I've said it before and will say it again, LINKEDIN HAS A PROBLEM! There's no reason a Sales Rep is posting about their best practices for closing a prospect and include a random picture of their self with grandpa in the hospital just to ensure that it reaches a broader audience. Please make it make sense! Can we get back to adding in relevant photos if we are attaching them to our posts? It screams clickbait and ironically so many of us dislike clickbait, so why feed into it?
The last one I'll touch on today is the influx of AI and bot accounts. In this day and age, bot accounts on any social media platform are inevitable. But what makes it even worse on LinkedIn is that you have thousands of users who are currently in the job market and attempting to utilize the platform in its traditional manner, but are constantly being bombarded in their DMs by fake accounts and/or fake job offers. Imagine not only how frustrating but disheartening of an experience this is. And while I'm sure eyes are rolling while reading this next statement, you can help to try and eliminate this issue by reporting these pages and also contacting LinkedIn directly.
Now don't get me wrong, there is still a great amount of real people on the platform providing very helpful, insightful, and honest information + resources. Plenty of recruiters, hiring managers, and peers at various organizations are working overtime to try and help great talent find and land their next role. But when a platform is overrun by chaos it can be hard to sift through at times.
So what do you do? I encourage everyone to get back to the basics as much as possible. What I mean specifically is get back to organically posting, without the random photo for the sake of "reaching a broader audience". Fight back! Yes, we are officially in a time where AI accompanies most if not all internet driven things, but that does not mean that ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini needs to write all of your posts for you. You're literally losing your human touch.
Get back to connecting with people genuinely. If you're in the market, please don't be ashamed or feel embarrassed to let people know. There are people who want to see you succeed and are open to supporting however they can. And yes, while you'll probably still receive AI messages with questionable job opportunities, delete and report them. Help the collective take out the trash so that (prayerfully) a platform that was designed to assist and connect others within a professional space can get back to serving its original purpose. Community has always been what has helped to push the collective forward and will always be the catalyst. Please don't forget that.
Lastly, if you fall into the category of being a proud "ex-company-er" and are ready to figure out how to market and articulate yourself without needing to name drop a previous employer to do so, let's have a chat. Schedule time with me and we can have honest, judgement-free conversation. I want you to know and be confident in that.
Also, anyone who is currently in the job market, especially my Black peers — know that you are seen, supported, and this too is going to pass. Please don’t let a systemically unequal and capitalistically driven workforce have you questioning your value and/or qualifications. If there's any way I can support, please let me know as I am always happy and willing to do so. Transparently, I too was impacted by the "Great Elimination" (another story for another tine) so understand that I get it.
Whew, that was a lot but I appreciate you all once again taking the time to share this space with me. Wishing you a prosperous and grace-filled February.
With Love + Gratitude,
Dani B. ✨