LinkedIn locked me out of my own account. The only way back is through Persona — a third-party service that wants a photo of my passport, a scan of my face, and a recording of my movements (liveness detection: turn your head, follow the dot, so a still photo can’t stand in for me). The stated reason: “unusual activity.” The real reason, of course, is big tech spearheading a movement toward absolute control over people.
Fuck LinkedIn and all, but in 2026 the only way to get a job in some industries is to have someone put in a referral for you. Messaging former colleagues on linkedin and having them submit a referral is often the only way your resume will even get looked at.
It’s fucking rough out there now. Having a contact list of who you know, and who they know, can cut your job hunt in half.
Open roles often get a thousand resumes submitted, and since hiring managers can’t read them all, they use an LLM to pick out the “best” folks. Connecting to real people is the only way to break through that shit.