Elon Musk took aim at LinkedIn over the weekend, calling the platform “cringe” and hinting that he might launch his own alternative to the networking and career-focused app.
Musk is not known to mince words, and that was the case Sunday morning when the billionaire slammed LinkedIn in response to a user’s question about the platform.
LinkedIn is a global networking hub and an employment-focused social media platform designed to let users apply for jobs or internships, strengthen and build professional relationships, and develop career-advancing skills and knowledge.
Since its launch in May 2003, LinkedIn has garnered 930 million users and reportedly generates one new user every three seconds. In 2016, LinkedIn was purchased by Microsoft in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion.
“Is there anything worse than LinkedIn?” Ian Zelbo asked in a post shared on Twitter.
In response to the post, Musk offered his own analysis of the Microsoft-owned platform.
“People send me LinkedIn links sometimes, but the cringe level is so high that I just can’t bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed,” Musk said. “We will make sure that the [Twitter] competitor to LinkedIn is cool.”
LinkedIn is the only popular career-focused networking site currently on the market, according to another Twitter user.
“Up until now, it has been the only platform where you can showcase your skills, professional background, clients’ feedback, and just generally get some idea about a person,” said Twitter user Yana Maximochkina. “I look forward to the LinkedIn [Twitter] competitor.”
It is unclear if Musk was serious about creating a new platform to rival LinkedIn or if he was just engaging in online banter.
In May, Musk hinted at a “job hiring” feature that would be added to Twitter. Adam Ryan, CEO of Workweek Inc., tweeted that he already has access to the feature.
“While there is a ton of hype around Zuck copying and pasting another app, Elon’s Twitter is shipping products that make a ton of sense. We just got access to posting jobs on our company page. Considering we’ve hired 20+ people from Twitter, this is a no-brainer,” claimed Ryan.
