LinkedIn lets loose

Follow Us Get the newsletter Hey y'all, it's Austin, asking once again if you'll "please add me to your LinkedIn network." The phrase has become synonymous with the kind of mundane and mechanical social engagement that happens on Microsoft Corp.'s social platform for professionals. But last week, LinkedIn said it would add some pizzaz: It's now developing its own version of Clubhouse, the hot invite-only audio chat app. It may seem funny that LinkedIn has chosen to jump on the Clubhouse clone bandwagon, following Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Spotify Technology SA. But the service has lately been ramping up a raft of flashy social features—from ephemeral sharing to live streaming—which are more closely associated with celebrity influencers than a website where you congratulate your ex-boss on his 11-year work anniversary. The company is taking its transformation seriously. The vice president of product, Kiran Prasad, recently called this shift in mentality a "rebirth of LinkedIn as a social network."  In addition to its audio chatroom announcement, last week LinkedIn launched video-selfie profiles and a new hashtag-fueled "creator mode" for content publishing. It has also introduced Snapchat-like "Stories" and tools for event broadcasting. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella has been eager to buy up a fast-rising social platform, having explored acquisitions of Pinterest Inc., Discord Inc. and a piece of ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok. But until one of those bids lands, LinkedIn has proven ripe for community development, with conversations on the site shooting up 48% this past quarter compared with the same period a year ago. This is all a little off-brand. The corporate social network, which has more than 700 million members, grew into an industry behemoth in part because it wasn't very, well, social—at least not in the millennial sense of the term. The platform has long felt serious and Dilbert-esque, embracing a stodginess that's helped it become a powerful hub for promoting digital résumés, recruiting talent and building career contacts. That's also allowed it to so far avoid the kind of abuses that have plagued Facebook. LinkedIn executives liked to say that what you shared on LinkedIn was akin to what you'd share at the office, whereas other more social apps were geared toward capturing what you did on the weekend at home. However, with the home and office increasingly merging, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was perhaps inevitable that LinkedIn would have to get with the times. A company spokesperson said LinkedIn is creating tools for people to present their "full selves" to professional colleagues and trying to encourage more authentic sharing among "communities who have long felt that they had to be someone else when at work."  This might help the company reach younger generations, who may be used to showing off their body of work on an Instagram feed or Squarespace page instead. Moreover, the work-from-home era has driven adoption of inherently social productivity services like Zoom Video Communications Inc. and Slack Technologies Inc., which, incidentally, also suggested last week that it, too, will be adding Clubhouse-like features. While LinkedIn's upcoming Clubhouse copycat might open it up to content moderation headaches, it could prove to be a natural extension of the platform. Clubhouse has blown up with the help of venture capitalists and big-name tech luminaries like Elon Musk leading audio chats. It just so happens that LinkedIn has an endless trove of verified business leaders (and—wince!—thought leaders) likely keen to enter the verbal fray. For these users, LinkedIn's professional-centric ethos could be an asset. That's not to imply LinkedIn will be a major threat to Clubhouse. After all, LinkedIn's sample audio chatroom featured speakers discussing the bland subject of "work life balance and good vibes." That may not be enticing enough for you to join and listen, but it may give you a reason to reconsider that LinkedIn invite you've been ignoring. —Austin Carr If you read one thing An inventor of non-fungible tokens expressed dismay at the hype cycle surrounding the art format. "We were trying to protect artists," Anil Dash, who said he co-developed NFT during a nightlong hackathon, wrote in the Atlantic. "But tech-world opportunism has struck again." And here's what you need to know in global technology news Amazon apologized for a tweet denying workers pee in bottles, a rare mea culpa for Jeff Bezos's online shopping company. "Regardless of the fact that this is industry-wide, we would like to solve it," Amazon said. "We don't yet know how, but will look for solutions." A years-old batch of personal data on more than half a billion Facebook users reemerged online on Saturday. People's phone numbers and other information was available for free on a hacking forum. Apple complied with a Russian law requiring device makers to offer local apps. iPhone users in the country now see a screen during setup asking them to download apps made by Yandex and other Russian companies, the Verge reported.   Like Fully Charged? | Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters.   You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Fully Charged newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022