Today I hit 3000 followers on LinkedIn, which almost coincides with my 20-year anniversary on the platform. Two decades of professional networking, and I've managed to build a following without posting a single video of myself dancing or sharing any "inspirational business porn." No hustle culture platitudes. No "I just achieved X, and here's how you can too" humble brags.

Just a dude who loves to build in the middle of the most amazing time to be a creative problem solver.

What LinkedIn Has Become vs. What It Can Be

LinkedIn has evolved dramatically since I joined in 2005. What began as a simple professional networking platform has transformed into a content ecosystem that often resembles a strange hybrid of Facebook and a never-ending business conference. The feed is filled with:

• Carefully choreographed "day in the life" videos
• Humblebrags thinly disguised as life lessons
• Engagement-bait stories that always end with "Agree?"
• AI tools generating content for people who don't have time to be authentic
• The ever-present "I'm excited to announce..." posts

But beneath all that noise, the platform still serves its original purpose beautifully: connecting professionals who are building interesting things.

Building Through Two Decades of Tech

Looking back at my 20 years on LinkedIn is like flipping through a scrapbook of technological evolution. When I joined, we were just entering the Web 2.0 era. Since then, I've documented my journey through:

• The rise of cloud computing
• Mobile's domination of the digital landscape
• The social media explosion
• The maturation of e-commerce
• The blockchain and web3 movement
• And now, the generative AI revolution

Each of these eras required different skills, different mindsets, and different approaches to problem-solving. The constant has been the joy of building solutions that matter.

The Privilege of Being a Builder Now

We're living in the most incredible time to be a creative problem solver. The tools at our disposal today would have seemed like science fiction when I started my career. Machine learning models that can generate code, images, and text. APIs that can transform whispered words into documents. Technologies that can turn rough sketches into production-ready designs.

These advances don't replace the need for human creativity—they amplify it. They don't eliminate the need for skilled builders—they elevate what we can create. The fundamentals remain the same: understand the problem, empathize with users, design thoughtful solutions, and iterate based on feedback.

The difference is that the ceiling for what one person or small team can build has been raised dramatically. Ideas that would have required venture funding and years of development can now be prototyped in weeks or even days.

What 3000 Followers Means

Reaching 3000 followers isn't about vanity metrics. It represents something more meaningful: 3000 professionals who find value in the problems I'm solving and the perspective I bring. That's both humbling and motivating.

It's a reminder that genuine passion for building useful things resonates with people, even without the algorithm-friendly tactics that dominate most social platforms. No need for dance videos (though I respect those who can pull them off—I certainly can't). No need for business platitudes or manufactured inspiration.

Just authentic enthusiasm for solving interesting problems with amazing tools in a time of unprecedented technological possibility.

Here's to the Next 20 Years

I don't know what the next two decades will bring. Maybe LinkedIn will be replaced by direct brain-to-brain networking (I hope not, but who knows?). Maybe we'll all be building in immersive 3D environments. Maybe AI will handle all the coding while humans focus purely on problem definition and creative direction.

Whatever comes next, I'm grateful to be part of this moment in technological history, and grateful to have 3000 fellow travelers interested in the journey.

Here's to building useful things that solve real problems—no dance moves required.