By Leilah King-Gotlib, Marketing & Growth Strategist
In recent weeks, a mini-wave began on LinkedIn after multiple women shared an interesting experiment: they switched the gender on their profile to see what would happen.
Anecdotally, many reported a noticeable rise in reach and engagement when their profile displayed “male” rather than “female.” When switching back, some said their performance dipped again.
These stories don’t prove intentional bias, nor do they reveal anything definitive about how LinkedIn’s systems work. But they do raise important questions about visibility, fairness and how platforms respond when users highlight unexpected patterns. And word of these experiences has been spreading quickly across communities that regularly discuss equality and representation.
More recently, one woman who repeated the experiment shared that her results were now the same regardless of gender. Suggesting that, at minimum, the experience isn’t universal or static.
The most interesting part of this conversation isn’t what the algorithm did or didn’t do.
It’s what the situation illustrates:
When users talk, organisations listen, or they risk reputational fallout.
Algorithms respond to behaviour, not intent — but impact still matters
Algorithms are shaped by user activity. If one group posts or engages more frequently, any system may naturally reflect those patterns. An explanation people have proposed.
But even if the mechanism is neutral, the experience may not feel neutral to the people affected.
And that’s where the business lesson becomes clear:
People interpret outcomes emotionally, not technically. Perception becomes reality when trust is involved.
Whether LinkedIn intended any particular outcome isn’t the point. The point is how quickly a narrative can form and how fast it spreads when something doesn’t “feel” fair.
The Real Issue: Small signals become big stories
The gender-switching anecdotes highlight how small, repeated observations can spark wider conversations.
In hospitality, travel and membership-based industries, leaders often face similar challenges:
- friction points that quietly frustrate customers
- behavioural patterns that go unnoticed internally
- sentiment shifts that aren’t identified until too late
- recurring complaints without root-cause understanding
- gaps between leadership assumptions and customer reality
These issues rarely begin dramatically. They begin as signals, just like the LinkedIn anecdote and can escalate when they go unexamined.
Platforms and Businesses share the same challenge: Listening fast enough
The same woman who reran the experiment recently found her performance was suddenly identical regardless of the gender listed. Whether that reflects normal variation, changes in her network or unrelated adjustments is impossible to know.
But it shows something important:
Experiences shift. Patterns change. Organisations have the opportunity to evolve when users speak.
This is the purpose of a feedback loop: to surface insight early.
Where this connects back to Business Growth
In our work, the most significant risks inside organisations almost always come from unnoticed patterns, not dramatic events.
Examples include:
- dissatisfaction clustering around specific interactions
- sentiment shifts that predict churn before numbers show it
- inconsistencies across teams or locations
- expectations changing faster than processes adapt
Without analysis, these patterns can evolve into commercial loss or reputational exposure.
Through the partnership with Mobius Vendor Partners’ Enterprise Feedback Solutions, I help organisations turn customer feedback into:
- early detection of emerging issues
- clear interpretation of sentiment
- cross-functional recommendations
- insight-driven decisions
- stronger foundations for future AI capability
It all comes down to the same principle:
Spot the signal now, not the fallout later.
What the LinkedIn conversation highlights
The takeaway isn’t about algorithms or gender specifically.
It’s about:
✔ how quickly user experiences can become public narratives
✔ how perception shapes trust
✔ how essential listening mechanisms are in modern businesses
✔ how responsiveness strengthens or weakens reputation
The LinkedIn conversation is ultimately a reminder of something universal:
Customers will share their experiences.
Organisations that listen early — thrive.
Those that don’t — react under pressure.
And that is a lesson every business can use.
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