I Posted That I Don't Take Pitches on LinkedIn. Twelve Founders Immediately Pitched Me In The Comments.

I was specific. Cold outreach via LinkedIn does not work on me. I explained why. I was even polite about it.

Then I watched twelve founders read those exact words and type a pitch directly underneath them.

This is not a reading comprehension problem. These are smart people. They understood the post but decided it didn't apply to them.

Which tells you everything about what LinkedIn has become.

The platform has trained founders to confuse proximity with access. Someone posts, therefore they are reachable. Someone is reachable, therefore they want your deck. And it's trained them to believe that showing up in comments is relationship-building, that volume is signal, that proximity is permission.

So a post saying "don't pitch me here" becomes a pitch magnet.

The post did well, by the way. Lots of engagement.

LinkedIn loved it.