LinkedIn is uniquely positioned to benefit from Twitter’s meltdown–and disgruntled X users are offering Microsoft a blueprint for social media supremacy

Vivek Wadhwa, Alex Salkever
Justin Sullivan - Getty Images

I've dubbed it "the retweet from hell." A few weeks ago, Alex Salkever and I wrote an article for Fortune, extolling a fresh immigration policy endorsed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. This policy aimed at empowering promising entrepreneurs to set roots in the Golden State and kickstart their businesses. Once I shared the article link in a tweet, the governor generously retweeted it, reaching his expansive 2 million followers.

Yet, I was ill-prepared for what ensued: Our Twitter feeds were swiftly commandeered by vulgar, venom-spewing trolls tearing apart the article. The situation deteriorated to the point where my Twitter stream turned into a jumbled mess–most comments and mentions originated from these trolls, hurling various forms of abuse. Seeking insight, I messaged Governor Newsom, asking if this was a recurrent theme. His response? "Welcome to my world. :)"

However, it's not just Newsom's world. Under the Musk administration, the platform once known as Twitter has descended into a chaotic state. Our timelines are inundated with posts from unfamiliar individuals, whom we've never followed or engaged with, spewing falsehoods and nonsense. The algorithm dictating our content seems to have gone haywire, compelling us to rely on curated lists and the trending section. Granted, we could clean up our feeds by muting or blocking the trolls. But when that becomes the primary activity on the platform, what's the point? Why participate in the digital town square if most individuals hide behind masks to obscure their identities, hurling insults without any inclination to converse? Why bother when a significant portion of them are bots, anyway?

Making LinkedIn more engaging and more useful

Amidst persistent grumbling from the Twitterati, Mark Zuckerberg boldly rolled out Threads, a move that garnered cheers from tech pundits who lauded the audacious step. The swift surge in signups, propelled by the already robust Instagram social network, prompted numerous speculations about Facebook's potential to establish an unprecedented level of social supremacy. However, it's possible that the prime beneficiary of the widespread discontent with Twitter could be Microsoft–and LinkedIn.

By implementing timely and strategic product enhancements, LinkedIn has the potential to fulfill the lofty promises that Twitter once held, emerging as an even more captivating destination for enthusiasts of up-to-the-minute news and insights. Capitalizing on its inherently more reliable identification framework stemming from its professional affiliations, LinkedIn could seamlessly blend into both a global business-centric social graph and a comprehensive knowledge repository, enabling users to pinpoint and connect with world-renowned experts while consuming their valuable content.

In fact, it could even metamorphose into a hip virtual hangout, a real-time messaging hub that users habitually keep open, much like Twitter at its prime. If Alex and I were at the helm of LinkedIn's product strategy, here's how we'd steer the ship to augment its value, boost engagement, and make it an irresistible hub for users.

Allow users to better control their feeds

While LinkedIn prides itself on maintaining an air of civility, the reality is that its user experience falls flat. The tools to filter and mold LinkedIn feeds into a more meaningful journey are conspicuously absent. Consequently, extraordinary insights often drown in a relentless deluge of shameless self-promotion and regrettable posts peddling vacuous content like "Best ChatGPT Prompts for Crafting Sales Emails.”

In stark contrast, Twitter's news team excels at curating a select set of stories and nurturing expert commentary around them. And that’s just one part of the veritable treasure trove of news wisdom that Twitter readily offers. With just a few adept clicks, one can identify experts, follow their insights, or explore meticulously curated topic lists, amassing an unparalleled wealth of knowledge. This means LinkedIn is a less enticing platform for journalists to participate in.

Curbing LinkedIn’s inadequacies is a straightforward undertaking. Here's our blueprint for a more refined LinkedIn:

  • Empower LinkedIn power users with an arsenal of precision tools, akin to superpowers. Craft a distinctive Tweetdeck-inspired application branded under LinkedIn's banner, enabling these trailblazers to seamlessly curate and navigate their feeds.

  • Revolutionize Interactions by forging a simpler pathway for LinkedIn users to communicate and create group chats. While Twitter's DMs have set a benchmark for effortless speed, even rendering email second-rate for some, LinkedIn's messaging interface remains tangled. It has yet to emerge as the favored method for daily interactions among LinkedIn users. Enhance the user experience for swift messaging access and nimble navigation. Moreover, LinkedIn's group functionality often mirrors email lists, weighed down by unwieldy administrative tools. The absence of a simple method for setting up impromptu groups to discuss specific topics is glaring. By fostering easy interaction and congregation, LinkedIn can lure in more users, myself included, to spend quality time on the platform.

  • Undertake an assertive approach to curate and conceal posts that fail to elicit substantial engagement. This includes posts reposted by those followed, albeit lacking in depth. Harvest insights from user interactions to identify the cream of the crop–posts of the highest quality that transcend clickbait and ephemeral views. Additionally, if a user expels a post from their feed, interpret it as a definitive dismissal.

  • Empower the "now" feed. Rethink the static LinkedIn News. Currently confined to serving each user a mere five unchanging items per session, it clings to an outdated approach to news consumption. This stance is misaligned with contemporary habits. Introduce a dynamic "LinkedIn Now" feed–a swiftly moving stream of dozens of stories per hour and hundreds throughout the day, tailored to the user's declared interests and demonstrated preferences, all while ensuring top-tier content quality remains sacrosanct.

  • Grant journalists the same privileges enjoyed by recruiters. Presently, Twitter is the journalist's research tool of choice for soliciting swift expert comments. However, LinkedIn's accurate job descriptions render it tailor-made for this task. Bestow journalists with free InMail access or the ability to directly contact experts, positioning LinkedIn as a valuable resource.

  • Pioneer a potent lists feature. Twitter's Lists are a realm of wonderment: Seeking experts on specific topics often leads to curated lists. This accelerates knowledge acquisition. However, due to their complexity, few venture into managing them. LinkedIn can revolutionize this feature by crafting a list tool that eases the discovery of lists curated by fellow users or thematic discussion threads that one can follow, engage with, and exit at will.

  • Unlock a massive network of experts. Today, when seeking an authority on driverless cars, Twitter trumps LinkedIn due to the latter's pollution by self-promotion. Genuine experts are obscured amidst the noise. Enhance LinkedIn's search capabilities by leveraging Microsoft Bing's prowess to yield results that are more effective. Moreover, capitalize on LinkedIn's user-driven insights to compile lists of recommended experts. This approach boosts expert consumption while widening their audience reach.

  • Make newsletters and posts modern publishing outlets. Right now, if you run a newsletter, it must be associated with a single LinkedIn account. Two people cannot jointly publish an article. There is no editorial workflow. There is no easy way to sort through newsletters or have relevant newsletters recommended to you. This is why Substack has grown so quickly and become the go-to source for expert commentary. Creating a newsletter in LinkedIn is also a clunky exercise with loads of manual steps. Improving the newsletter experience and making it easier to create true “publications” on LinkedIn could unlock huge potential as a better publishing vehicle that targets audiences that matter rather than a random army of bots like you find on Twitter.

Twitter is a sinking ship, and its users are desperately looking for a lifeboat. LinkedIn can be that lifeboat–but only if it acts fast and smart. By implementing some of the features and improvements suggested in this article, LinkedIn can become the ultimate social network for professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve, grow their networks, and showcase their expertise.

LinkedIn can also become a more enjoyable and rewarding place to hang out, chat, and exchange ideas with like-minded people. But LinkedIn can’t do it alone. It needs its users to demand more of the platform, share more quality content, and engage more respectfully with each other.

LinkedIn can benefit from Twitter’s meltdown by offering a better alternative that meets the needs and expectations of its users. But it’s up to us, the users, to make it happen. Are you ready to join the LinkedIn revolution?

Vivek Wadhwa is an academic, entrepreneur, and author. His book, From Incremental to Exponential, explains how large companies can see the future and rethink innovation.

Alex Salkever is a Silicon Valley technology executive who has advised dozens of technology companies on strategy and go-to-market. They are co-authors of The Driver in the Driverless Car and Your Happiness Was Hacked.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

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