Elon Musk criticises LinkedIn, calls it 'cringe'

Before adding a new job-hiring feature dubbed Hirings to his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk had taken a jibe at LinkedIn.

To those unaware, Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022. Since then, the 52-year-old billionaire has radically overhauled the social media platform. Among other changes, Twitter is now paying premium subscribers for ads served in their replies.

As part of his latest move, Musk has introduced a new feature called "X Hirings." The new feature will enable companies to build professional networking and even post jobs. So, it is safe to say that the feature is Musk's take on LinkedIn.

Elon Musk assesses LinkedIn

Unsurprisingly, Musk did not shy away from assessing LinkedIn. In fact, he called the leading professional networking platform "cringe." The Tesla CEO responded to a post by X user Ian Zelbo, who asked, "Is there anything worse than LinkedIn?"

In his reply, Musk revealed that people send him LinkedIn links sometimes, further noting that the "cringe level is so high that I just can't bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed. We will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool."

"LinkedIn is actually the most cringe platform on the internet," he added. Musk's X recently made its foray into professional networking with a beta version of hiring, called "Hirings". Regrettably, only verified organisations on the platform have access to the feature at the moment.

X Hirings: Everything we know so far

Hirings is expected to simplify the process of hiring by rigourlessly verifying and screening the companies that wish to list on it. This will enable the company to create a safe, reliable space for job seekers, who will have access to offerings from a database of verified organisations.

X users will soon start seeing the Hirings feature within the microblogging website. Once the feature is available, only verified organisations will be able to list jobs on their X profiles. Moreover, organisations will have to pay a monthly subscription fee of $1,000 (about £792) to use this feature.

The organisation's profile will feature job listings, which will be searchable by various criteria like keywords and location. Candidates will be able to directly apply for jobs on X, and employers will be able to contact employees through the platform.

Musk is sparing no effort in a bid to attract more users to X. In line with this, the billionaire is planning to allow journalists to publish their articles directly on X. Likewise, X Hirings is still in beta testing and is only available to US-based verified organisations.

Elon Musk wants to make X an everything app

Musk is reportedly planning to roll out the feature to more countries in the future. After being verified, organisations will have the option to sign up for early access to the X Hiring Beta. These organisations can apply for the beta by heading straight to this link.

"Unlock early access to the X Hiring Beta -- exclusively for Verified Organisations," X said in a post. "Feature your most critical roles and organically reach millions of relevant candidates. Apply for the Beta today," the company added.

It is worth noting that Musk has been hinting at adding a job-hiring feature on X since May. Earlier, in his response to a user's suggestion that X should consider adding dating services, Musk said, "Interesting idea, maybe jobs too."

According to a report by Bloomberg, Twitter acquired a job-matching tech startup called Laskie in July. This acquisition could have helped X in terms of creating and releasing the new job-hiring feature. This is probably a step forward towards making X an everything app.