The One Thing LinkedIn Doesn’t Reward (But You Should Do Anyway)

Key Concepts:

• Weirdness vs. Social Awkwardness: Separating quirkiness from social ineptitude.
• Normalization of Weirdness: Making it acceptable to be different.
• AI's Impact on Content: Generic and predictable content creation.
• Personal Branding: Standing out by being authentic and unique.
• Transparency and Realness: Disclosing sources of success and challenges.
• The "Demigod" Persona: Combining intellect, success, and physical fitness.
• Cheating vs. Enhancement: The ethics of using external aids (AI, steroids) for personal gain.
• Contextual Weirdness: What is considered weird varies based on environment and social norms.
• Disclosure of Source: Being open about methods, tools, and challenges faced.

1. AI and the Rise of Generic Content

• The internet is increasingly filled with generic, AI-generated content, especially on platforms like LinkedIn.
• AI tools like ChatGPT produce answers similar to a student who doesn't know the material well, resulting in bland and unoriginal content.
• Being "weird" or authentic stands out against this backdrop of AI-driven uniformity.
• It's noted that while Large Language Models (LLMs) can be prompted to be weird, they often sound artificial.

2. The Call for Weirdness on LinkedIn

• Jillian Richardson's post "I am on my knees begging, be weirder on LinkedIn" sparked a movement encouraging users to be more authentic and less conventional.
• The post generated over a thousand comments and hundreds of re-shares.

3. Defining and Embracing Weirdness

• "Weird" doesn't necessarily mean socially awkward; it can simply mean being unique or quirky.
• One perspective is to amplify one's existing personality traits to stand out.
• Another perspective is to remove the layers of socialization and conditioning that suppress individuality.
• Being weird can act as a "lighthouse," attracting like-minded individuals and kindred spirits.

4. Personal Example: AI Personality Experiment

• Jod describes experimenting with the Coachbox system to make her AI personality three times more extreme, which changed the description from direct and firm to brutally blunt and relentless.
• This experiment demonstrates how one can amplify their personality online, even through AI.

5. Normal vs. Weird: A Matter of Perspective

• The discussion explores whether anyone self-identifies as "normal."
• The hosts debate whether a mutual friend, Daniel Priestley, is weird, highlighting different interpretations of the concept.
• "Normal" is defined as average or run-of-the-mill, while "weird" involves deviating from the norm.
• Context matters: What is considered weird depends on the social environment. For instance, wearing a burka may be normal in the Middle East but weird in London for a white female.

6. Examples of Weird Individuals

• Steve Jobs is cited as an example of someone who was weird due to his unconventional habits and visionary thinking.
• Artists like Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol were also mentioned.

7. Context and Provocation

• Weirdness involves making decisions that go against convention to the point of provoking looks or raised eyebrows.

8. The Role of Childhood and Personal History

• People often believe their childhood was normal because it shaped their benchmark for what is considered normal.
• Interviewing successful entrepreneurs revealed that they all described their childhoods as "fairly normal" despite vastly different experiences.

9. LinkedIn's Transformation and the AI Problem

• LinkedIn has evolved from a resume-building site to a social platform, leading to a greater diversity of content.
• Being boring and predictable is a great way to be forgettable, and AI exacerbates this issue by generating generic content.
• The use of AI to write comments and build relationships is criticized as the worst kind of engagement.
• AI-generated content on LinkedIn often lacks strong opinions and comes across as fluff.
• The fear of sharing controversial opinions on a professional platform contributes to the problem.

10. The Craving for Realness

• People are craving more realness and authenticity on LinkedIn, as they are bored with the same old content.
• The call for weirdness is a reaction to the generic content and the pressure to conform.
• The hosts encourage users to share their weirdest stories and beliefs to attract like-minded individuals.

11. Hot Takes and Personal Branding

• Jod shares her "hot take" that getting in exceptional physical shape is a cheat code for life, accelerating the achievement of goals.
• The idea is challenged with the counterpoint that some physically fit individuals may lack intellectual depth.
• The hosts discuss the concept of the "demigod" persona, which combines intellect, success, and physical fitness.

12. The Ethics of Enhancement

• The conversation shifts to the ethics of using external aids, such as steroids, to enhance physical fitness.
• It's acknowledged that while one must still do the work, steroids can disproportionately increase results.
• The hosts emphasize the importance of transparency and honesty about using external aids, whether AI or steroids.

13. Transparency and Disclosure

• The discussion highlights the importance of disclosing the "source" of success, whether it's steroids, engagement groups, or other tools and strategies.
• Being transparent about methods and challenges makes the advice more valuable and relatable.
• The more transparent you are the more real you are. Transparency fosters relatability, trust, and appreciation.

14. Brainstorming and Human Connection

• The hosts lament the tendency to rely on phones during brainstorming sessions, hindering human connection and original thinking.
• They advocate for humans to focus on thinking and machines to focus on labor.

15. Conclusion: Embracing Realness and Transparency

• The hosts conclude that people crave realness and honesty in a world of fakeness.
• They encourage transparency and disclosing the source of one's methods and challenges.
• Transparency determines how real you are, with an invitation to stretch your transparency limits by an extra 10%.