The article discusses the contrasting views on LinkedIn's recent incorporation of gaming features. Puzzle creator Snyder defends the games, arguing they create an engaging experience akin to a conversation with the user. In contrast, entrepreneur Mitchell Tan expresses frustration, believing these distractions detract from LinkedIn's primary purpose: facilitating professional connections. He highlights that LinkedIn should prioritize business interactions over entertainment, reflecting the needs of its serious power users. The lack of transparency regarding game engagement further fuels concerns about resource allocation on the platform.
Mitchell Tan, who runs a messaging service that he says was born out of hatred for LinkedIn's inbox, finds the existence of LinkedIn's games frustrating. He says he uses the platform to find and secure business connections who will then go on to buy services from him. But connecting and talking directly on LinkedIn feels more difficult to navigate than it should be, and to Tan, LinkedIn putting resources into efforts like games ignores people using the platform to make a living.
Tan criticizes the direction LinkedIn is taking by prioritizing games over the core functionalities that professional users rely on. He states, 'What the heck is this $30 billion company doing?' expressing concern that LinkedIn's focus on entertainment undermines its value proposition for serious business networking.
Despite the debate around the utility of games on LinkedIn, Snyder, a puzzle creator, believes they enhance user engagement, stating, 'The solver encounters a path while they're solving that almost makes it like they're having a conversation back with me,' reflecting a unique interaction between creator and player.
Tan emphasizes the importance of LinkedIn for serious networking, saying, 'These people are not random teenagers on TikTok, they're VPs of sales who make millions of dollars a year,' suggesting that LinkedIn's audience deserves better than frivolous features.
Collection
[
|
...
]