You might have noticed I missed a few Lightbulbs. So before anyone sends a wellness check to my door, I thought I’d fill you in.

I accepted a job last week.

I know, I know. I’ve spent years now preaching about escaping the corporate grid and claiming your freedom on the other side.

I stand by it all, and it all stands true.

But as it happens, something came my way that was just too good to pass up.

As of yesterday, I joined LinkedIn’s Content & Algorithm team based out of Microsoft’s headquarters here outside Seattle.

If you’re unfamiliar, C&A is the central product team of about ~500 folks who twist the knobs and run all the tests to optimize what you see in your feed.

Yes, the belly of the beast indeed.

In the couple of weeks I’ve been talking to them about joining, it’s been refreshing to see firsthand that they’re deeply aware of the common gripes:

• They know we hate the ever-changing dos and don’ts of the algorithm
• They know we're inundated with LinkedIn content about LinkedIn content
• They know exactly how quickly we unfollow wannabe LinkedInfluencers when they post too much repetitive slop
• And yes, they most certainly know we’re tired of posting selfies

All in all, they get it. And they’re truly trying to make it better.

So, what’s changing - and how will I be involved?

You might remember that IRIS app I released a few weeks ago — it’s a simple app that critiques any visual you’re about to post to LinkedIn and lets you know whether it’s likely to resonate with your target client.

I built IRIS out of frustration with what I was seeing posted every day, and it was just my small way of encouraging people to elevate the caliber of their LinkedIn content.

Why? Aside from improving how your expertise is received in the market, elevated visual content, in aggregate, improves the platform experience for everyone.

Well, someone sent IRIS to someone who sent it to someone, and yada yada yada…

…last Thursday, I took IRIS offline and ported the backend to power what will soon be an Auto-Critique feature that will show you within LinkedIn itself whether your visual AND written posts will actually be helpful to those you aim to reach.

It won’t prevent you from posting unhelpful things — it will just make you more aware, without judgment, and encourage you to step up your game.

That’s about all I can say right now (my new VP cleared this email) — I just wanted to pass on my thanks to those who tested the beta version of IRIS.

I genuinely had no clue the app would take off at all, much less that it would find a prominent role within the platform we all love to hate.

But I can’t wait to see the impact it has once the rollout begins in just a few weeks.

Zooming out, I’m still figuring out what this means for The Lightbulb. I want to keep reporting ‘from the inside’ but maybe I need a rebrand - The Boomerang?

I’m also actively deciding whether I should shelve my book launch, given The Expert’s Privilege is precisely about not working for The Man. 😬

More to come, but in the meantime, the archive remains free, and I’ll write daily as I can from my hour-long commute over Lake Washington which, to be honest, I kinda missed.

💡

-Wes

P.S. Happy April Fools. See you tomorrow.

And P.P.S. IRIS is still up - she’s sassy, and loves to judge, kindly. 👩‍⚖️