If you logged in to your LinkedIn account on Tuesday and were aghast that your network had inexplicably shrunk, then don’t worry. You’ve not been cancelled, and the platform hasn’t purged your connections.
LinkedIn has confirmed that there is no foul play at large and that the issue has now been resolved, with connection and follower accounts returning to normal.
That’s a relief for anybody who relies on their LinkedIn profile to stand out to employers or has monetized the community by becoming a LinkedIn Influencer.
LinkedOut?
LinkedIn confirmed that there was no need for panic in a post on X from its @LinkedInHelp on Tuesday.
We heard some members may have seen a change in their connection and follower count. Our team quickly looked into this. We’re happy to report this has now been resolved.
— LinkedIn Help (@LinkedInHelp) October 22, 2024
It also confirmed that it had resolved the issue on its Status Page, closing the ticket seven hours after it had originally been opened for investigation.
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LinkedIn Rumor Mill Churns
That may have been a fairly speedy conclusion to the tale, but still gave users on the platform ample opportunity to posit their own thoughts on what may have caused the drop off.
Theories generally followed a similar theme – that LinkedIn was purging connections that it thought were with invalid profiles or had been made through the means of spamming.
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“LinkedIn is canceling nontrustworthy profiles and connections, which is good,” suggested one. “This time, it did not go well, and it also disconnected a lot of real people.
“Turns out, some profiles have thousands of fake followers, and LinkedIn is actively removing them to help us engage more authentically with the real people in our networks,” speculated another.
‘Armies of Bots’
If such conjecture is correct (and don’t expect LinkedIn to be anything other than tightlipped on the matter), the platform certainly wouldn’t be the first to actively remove users’ followers.
Since taking control of X, Elon Musk has been on a mission to eliminate bots and keep the social media platform more secure. Indeed, it’s the reason that he gave when explaining why he’d consider making everyone pay to use X.
“It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” he reasoned.
The Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have also removed accounts in the past that it deems inactive or suspicious.
