Beyond the “Blue Man in a Suit”

Now part of Microsoft, Linkedin began the process of reimagining itself for a new world of work. Then COVID-19 hit—right before Roslansky succeeded Weiner as CEO. Today, Linkedin’s momentum shows no sign of peaking. Meg Garlinghouse, Linkedin VP of social impact (2010–present): I don’t think that, six or seven years ago, [everyone] thought [Linkedin] was a place they should be. They weren’t sure that they belonged. Melissa Selcher, Linkedin (2016– present), VP, SVP, chief marketing and communications officer: We did a lot of qualitative research along with the quantitative, and someone said, “Linkedin, to me, feels like a faceless blue man in a suit.” It’s funny when someone says that. But you’re also like,

“Ouch, that hurts.” And then you’re like, “I can kind of see it.” Sarah Alpern, Linkedin (2007–2013 and 2017–present), senior designer, user experience design director, VP of design:

We had this internal rallying cry: “We are not a faceless blue man in a suit! We are so much more.” Tomer Cohen, Linkedin (2012– present), head of mobile product, VP of product, chief product officer: Gen Zs bring their full selves to work, so being able to tailor their profiles to showcase all dimensions of themselves is really important.

Selcher: We own this responsibility to extend the definition of “professional” to include all kinds of professionals and success. “Professional” should include talking about mental health and sharing your diversity journey.

Cohen: Now, some of our most engaged segments are first line [workers], entry roles, students, Gen Z. Fifty-five percent of our sign-ups are coming from those segments.

Roslansky: Three days ago we had our largest sign-up day in the history of Linkedin, which is very rare for a consumer internet company that is 20 years old.

Cohen: We saw a surge in usage [during the pandemic]. Almost overnight, [people] didn’t have that workplace environment like they had before. Mohak Shroff, Linkedin (2008– present), engineering lead, director of engineering, VP of engineering, senior VP of engineering: North of 50% of jobs on our platform now indicate themselves as being open to remote work.

Roslansky: We don’t view ourselves as a social network. We are a platform that exists to create economic opportunity.

The company may resist defining itself as a social network, but users continue to embrace it as such.

Kawasaki: I don’t know if the Linkedin people would like me saying this, but I think that Linkedin is simply the best social network.

Branson: It continues to play a crucial role in how I communicate with leaders, customers, peers, employees, and entrepreneurs.

Kreps: On Twitter, the thing that makes people popular is amplifying the worst thing that somebody else said. That creates this cycle of negativity. The worst thing on Linkedin is probably just some stupid article about stuff you do at the office.

Kothari: In the last few years, when things have really gone out of control [on other platforms], Linkedin has been a safe place for people to write. It’s always had this professional filter. Sometimes people may feel like it’s kind of boring, but I think it’s actually helped.