LinkedIn is loud, and corporate is hell

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

LinkedIn’s culture and AI “slop”

  • Many say LinkedIn was already cringe and performative; LLMs just turned up the volume by making cheap, generic “thought leadership” content trivial to generate.
  • Feed is described as “Facebook with resumes” or “TikTok for professionals”: hustle memes, shallow AI takes, fake-inspirational stories, and engineered virality.
  • The contrast between how people talk in real life vs. on LinkedIn is seen as especially jarring and revealing about online personas.

Corporate hell, PIPs, and motivation

  • Several relate to the author’s experience of performance plans, stack ranking, AI hype, and zero‑sum internal competition.
  • Executives are portrayed as chasing AI trends and engagement metrics, creating stress and pointless work.
  • Some consider “retiring” from tech early or switching to less “bullshit” industries; others argue that money and time with loved ones are enough motivation, though prolonged fakery at work can alter who you become.

Why people still use LinkedIn

  • Despite the hate, many keep profiles because it’s expected in hiring funnels; some report explicit “LinkedIn URL required” fields.
  • It’s widely used as a global rolodex: keeping track of ex‑coworkers, doing “online sleuthing,” and reconnecting professionally.
  • For founders, recruiters, and sales, it’s seen as a uniquely powerful talent and leads pipeline.

Critiques of design & incentives

  • The feed is blamed on engagement-driven product decisions: instead of a simple directory, it’s optimized for time-on-site and ads.
  • Self-censorship and tight Overton window (because your employer sees everything) lead to bland, low‑risk, easily AI‑generated discourse.
  • Easy OSINT and data brokerage off LinkedIn’s rich personal graphs worry some commenters.

Coping strategies and alternatives

  • Common tactics: never reading the feed, using ad blockers or CSS to hide it, only logging in for job search or messages, or deleting accounts entirely.
  • Some aggressively block low-quality posters to surface a small circle of niche experts (e.g., energy, bioinformatics).
  • Others recommend personal blogs, traditional job boards, or old‑school forums for real discussion.

Defenses of posting & personal branding

  • A minority argues that posting—even at the risk of cringe—builds a personal brand and keeps you top‑of‑mind for opportunities.
  • The key distinction suggested: sincere, useful content vs. algorithm-chasing slop.