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How asking for a seperate LinkedIn panned out

September 12, 2025December 14, 2025

This is the first article of work horror stories on dealing with clients and workplaces. Give it a read.

Why in the first place ?

Working in a startup is a different feeling. Engineering takes a back seat when revenue is not proper for the company. When they are pursuing clients and leads, they wanted me to know the process and the difficulties they are trying to automate. They were also low on leads to pursue and wanted me to reach out to some.

The CEO and the COO sent me a list of 100 contacts and to reach out to them via LinkedIn and calling them in a day and do it everyday till they told me to stop. When it came time to ask questions, I answered with wanting two things. A phone number to make the calls to their calls and I would create a new LinkedIn with the company email and to reach out to the people. Both of the asks, were fair as you will see later.

This is exactly what I had in mind, but as soon as my asks hit, the CEO was listening but writing down something hard on his book and got furious, “Don’t you trust the company to use your own LinkedIn?” Why do you have to use a separate LinkedIn ? Don’t you want to be associated the company mission ? Are you ashamed to be doing this ? If you don’t use your personal LinkedIn, you are FIRED. The COO had some cool, told the CEO to go for a walk and talked to me.

A guy shocked over a linkedin account (It’s made with my self-hosted AI, the misspelled linkedin makes it even better

I explained the COO my reasons. I don’t want to be answering client calls after work hours and calling them with a personal phone number will be greeted with “Hello” not “This is xyz company”. I am not experienced about loans to answer anything anyways. The LinkedIn also had reasons, The people who clicks on contact with find my personal email associated with my account not the company email, they will find my personal experience not the company’s. If I wanted LinkedIn premium or gold or any of the paid tiers they offer (They apparently have different tiers for sales people on top of gold) would the company pay for my personal LinkedIn ? should I add the company credit card to my LinkedIn account ?

We have a different email for work, is having different LinkedIn done for all the other sales people ? I asked.

He was frustrated but calmly explained, it’s not the case and you doing it will send bad signals to the team (Not sure what’s bad here) and everyone uses their personal LinkedIn because it is more authentic, having a blank new account doesn’t give a good impression to clients. No one in sales, does it he mentioned.

I replied, Well, I have never worked in sales, how am I supposed to know ?

Okay, he asked a co-worker if had access to the company phone, maybe he could call one lead, and I could listen after that he could lend it to me. The person agreed.

The CEO returned a little cooled off but still angry. The COO explained it was a misunderstanding and I just didn’t know how sales worked, it’s nothing about not believing in the company mission.

I went back to typing on my laptop. He kept scribbling. The tension in the room was still present throughout the time, he left. I left a big sigh after feeling way better.

I worked for a few hours and went around the couch to go for a walk, I saw the journal wide open, I peeked inside, and in big letters tightly pressed it was written “FIRE PRI” large in bold on the page.

Not that big, but it was large and looked bolded from overwriting on top of it again and again

Shocked out of my mind, how can someone be like that? I blinked twice to make sure what I saw was real and not my mind making it up. I left for the walk, very much shocked by what’s written. Will they let me go at the end of the day? Part of me was concerned about my future, my visa, I just moved, The lease. I calmed myself whatever happens will happen, If it’s made up already, there’s nothing I can do. I won’t say anything or resign. Let them fire me.

To my surprise, I asked if there’s anything else to do or any meetings left for the day and promptly left after 5. Didn’t get fired. I thought maybe he changed his mind.

The next day, I started the LinkedIn connects with my personal LinkedIn having no other option other than get fired, started finding people, some were easy, some I couldn’t find. Send custom connection messages, they expired after 15 connections and prompting me for gold. See this is why, I wanted a company account I thought, upon asking the CEO, he told to just connect with them, forget the gold. I mindlessly connected around 50. After which it got harder to find people, some were in construction. The list only had 65, rest were duplicate and some people with multiple businesses. I finished the list but couldn’t find some.

No one was assigning or asking for any help with HubSpot or any other tech related questions. Is today the day ? I was waiting to leave after 5, and the CEO wanted to discuss the list of 100 people he gave me, I told I did reach out to 65 people. Some were duplicate and some I couldn’t find.

So the data is the problem ? He raised his eyebrow.

I shrugged and said for duplicates, yes. People are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for that, you think that’s the problem?

I saw he was getting ready, for his reasons to terminate. After yesterday, I wasn’t afraid, why bend when they are going to fire me. I can do a better job than you, he exclaimed.

How long were you doing this ? 20 years he said. It’s only been 2 days how can I be at the same level as you, I said. Then maybe you shouldn’t work with us. He told. Saying he pays me 5 thousand dollars but is not able to make money on the amount he is spending on me. Maybe there is something we can do here he asked me.

Okay, I won’t work for you then. Oh! You want to do it ? Yes, I told. (I didn’t want to work for free just to learn sales) I am tech lead, not a sales person. Moreover, it’s unlawful for me to work on anything other than what I studied as part of my visa.

He wanted to me to explain where it didn’t work, I told him my work is to take business problems, find and execute technical projects. Not make sales for the company, that’s not part what I was trained or what I am willing to do. He didn’t agree but nodded as I was fired regardless. I knew it wouldn’t matter what I said nor would they change. Just wanted to say it out loud.

And that’s how asking for a separate LinkedIn account got me fired.

Redaction History

1. September 12, 2025 (Published)
2. December 14, 2025 (Modified)

Some information might changes over time, we keep redaction up to date.