{
  "id": 354439,
  "title": "LinkedIn: Where nobody fails, they just ‘pivot’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/linkedin-where-nobody-fails-they-just-pivot",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T17:48:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/where-everyones-thrilled-to-announce-linkedin-is-where-everyone-succeeds-and-nobody-ever-fails/articleshow/133056920.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For decades, I was a comedian, which inevitably meant I made mistakes. Many times, I stumbled, sometimes spectacularly, but not as impressively as Trump might have in Iran. While others claimed to excel at everything they did, my experiences were far from flawless. I performed in front of audiences ranging from just six people, one of whom was fast asleep, two awaiting the next act, and one being my mother—none of whom seemed amused. Yet, LinkedIn paints a different picture, one where everyone has been humbled, honored, thrilled, and deeply grateful. No one has ever felt mildly confused, spectacularly ignored, or asked to leave. Here, every keynote is met with a standing ovation, and every founder changes the world. Interns are said to drive strategic transformation, aliens would likely conclude that Earth has already solved poverty, climate change, and PowerPoint, and the phrase \"I'm excited to announce...\" appears with surprising frequency.\n\nWhile I don't mock ambition, as it fuels the growth of companies and nations, the corporate world often emphasizes failure while ensuring it remains unseen. Silicon Valley promotes the mantra to \"fail fast,\" \"experiment,\" and \"take risks,\" but the reality is that only the successes are showcased. If a joke fails, everyone immediately knows, unlike professional settings where failures are rarely discussed. Instead, they are edited out of professional narratives. In comedy, failure is immediate feedback, but in business, it's hidden. Successes are highlighted, failures are glossed over, and careers appear linear and flawless. Promotions, exits, and keynotes dominate the narrative, while setbacks are seldom shared.\n\nThis creates a distorted view where competent people believe they don't fail, and failure becomes a sign of incompetence rather than a natural outcome of challenging endeavors. If leaders only share victories, others may start to believe that failure is unacceptable. This can lead to people hiding their struggles, and organizations may learn less from failures than from successes. While I don't suggest LinkedIn become a platform for sharing inadequacies, it might be beneficial if people occasionally posted about average presentations, mundane experiences, or moments when things didn't go as planned. Such transparency could make life more useful and entertaining, as everyone could relate to the mundane aspects of work and life.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}