For a long time we’ve been waiting for a serious rival to LinkedIn.
I don’t think we guessed though that it might have come from the same “parent”.
OpenAI recently announcing its launch of an OpenAI Jobs platform flagged for launch in 2026 is a big sign that things are shifting.
But why would Microsoft (who owns 49% of OpenAI and all of LinkedIn) create a competing product?
Because, there are so many factors to whether this will be successful or not and my guess is, they are hedging their bets in the race to the top.
It’s all the same for Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella.
Platforms love to preach more fairness and less friction; well let’s see how that turns out. Then there’s privacy issues, governance, the feedback loop that can perpetuate bias etc., Google tried and failed here – maybe it was timing?
I listened to Steven Bartlett from DOAC interview Roman Yampoloskiy (the father of AI security) yesterday who warns that only 5 jobs will remain in 2030. And then today I was reading an OpenAI article declaring it will unlock more opportunities than any technology in history.
Who is right when it comes to predicting our industry?
None of us know (including the AI giants) where this wild new world is taking us.
So what do we do?
The answer for sure isn’t waiting it out to see what happens!
Instead, think critically about your business and what you can control.
Here’s a few tactical and practical things to start with.
Stop betting everything on LinkedIn
Ask yourself how reliant are you on LinkedIn? If for whatever reason you couldn’t access it tomorrow, what would be the impact on your business?
Your biggest risk is losing access to your network.
Solution. Regularly export ALL your data from LinkedIn. Connections, recommendations, articles etc.
Go to your profile → Settings and Privacy → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data
If you use LinkedIn as a quasi-CRM, you are building your business on rented land. Make sure you have a CRM where you decide who you contact and when.
Stay Sharp on what’s happening with AI
Stay abreast of the macro and micro with AI. What I mean is, keep an eye on what the big tech companies are doing (Open AI, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Google, etc) and the smaller rec tech guys. Many of whose products you are now using. And also the developments across general business tools you’re using. AI is moving so fast, stay in the conversations as best you can.
Subscribe to The Tech Savvy Recruiter Podcast
Why not listen to The Tech Savvy Recruiter, a podcast I co-host with Andrew Rodger where we aim to bridge the gap between recruitment founders and those in the world of rec tech. We share ideas, insights and tools to help you make better tech decisions for your business.
Elevate your voice and brand
Build your brand and your reputation at every opportunity. Work with clients and candidates who value relationships, partnerships and human intuition over transactions “matching”. Right now, AI has recruitment figured out in a few areas, but it’s also created issues around low quality submissions and unethical actors/scammers raising people’s scepticism. This makes trust more important than it’s ever been.
What a ride we are on!
I hope you find these tips helpful…Let me know, I always love your feedback.
Cheers
BK
