James Watt, millionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of BrewDog, recently took LinkedIn by storm—not with business news, but with a personal milestone: his engagement announcement to British reality star Georgia Toffolo. Watt described the engagement in corporate terms, calling it "a very cool deal" poised for "future growth," a phrasing that many LinkedIn users found cringeworthy. The post quickly went viral, sparking debate over LinkedIn's shift toward more personal content.
LinkedIn's Personal Turn: Watt's Post and Viral Reactions
Watt's LinkedIn post read, "I did a very cool deal at the end of last week. It is a long-term contractual agreement which looks poised for future growth. Both business and personal. Lots of mutual investment," accompanied by a photo of the couple flaunting Toffolo's engagement ring. The post circulated widely and even made its way to X (formerly Twitter), where user Ross McCafferty (@RossMcCaff) reposted it with the caption, "LinkedIn is a disease."
The post quickly amassed over a million views. While some users congratulated the couple, others expressed secondhand embarrassment. Comments ranged from "I'm going to die of cringe" to remarks like, "Even his proposal is a marketing stunt." The critique underscored the polarising nature of personal posts on LinkedIn, echoing Elon Musk's 2023 claim that "LinkedIn is cringe."
The Rise of Personal Sharing on LinkedIn
Watt's engagement post reflects a broader trend on LinkedIn, where users increasingly share personal milestones, health challenges, and family news. Since the pandemic, LinkedIn has experienced a surge in personal content as users re-evaluate work-life boundaries. According to The Washington Post, LinkedIn's engagement grew by 40% from 2021 to 2023. With over 930 million global users today, the platform's monthly user base is projected to reach 84.1 million by 2027. This shift is partly due to the rise of Gen Z on LinkedIn, who share openly, and a decrease in engagement on platforms like X.
A Power Couple and a Personal Brand
Watt and Toffolo officially revealed their romance in 2023, attracting media and social media attention. Toffolo, famous from Made in Chelsea and crowned "Queen of the Jungle" on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, brings her own following of nearly two million Instagram fans. For Watt, merging personal milestones with business updates on LinkedIn aligns with his image as a relatable CEO, but it also fuels criticism about whether LinkedIn is losing its professional focus.
The Washington Post highlights LinkedIn's editor-in-chief, Dan Roth, noting that the platform mirrors a societal shift toward authenticity. However, critics argue that the openness of such posts is often more annoying than connecting. Research from the Stanford Social Media Lab suggests that while vulnerability on LinkedIn can enhance relatability for leaders, it can also negatively impact perceptions of lower-level employees, especially women.
Watt's Wealth and BrewDog's Global Success
Describing his engagement in business terms reflects Watt's unique entrepreneurial approach. Since co-founding BrewDog in 2007 with Martin Dickie, Watt has grown the company into a £2 billion ($2.4 billion) global brand, propelling his personal net worth to around £262 million ($319 million), according to the New York Post. BrewDog is now one of the world's leading craft beer brands, and Watt's bold marketing strategies have been integral to its success. BrewDog is currently the 14th most valuable beer brand globally, and in 2018, Watt and Dickie became the first craft brewers on the Sunday Times Rich List.
The Debate Over LinkedIn's Changing Identity
As LinkedIn continues to evolve, its community remains divided over personal content. Some users, like Erika Taylor-Beck, a vice president at Relias, find that sharing vulnerabilities—such as mental health struggles—fosters authentic connections, per The Washington Post. Others, including Wharton marketing professor Americus Reed, argue LinkedIn should maintain a strictly professional identity to distinguish itself from platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Watt's engagement announcement encapsulates LinkedIn's current identity shift, blending the personal with the professional. While some find this new approach refreshing, others believe LinkedIn should retain its traditional role as a professional network, free from posts that resemble updates for friends and family.
