Should LinkedIn be rebranded as WaterCooler Social? Honestly, the way things are going, it wouldn’t be such a wild idea. LinkedIn has become the virtual break room where you swap weekend stories with coworkers (and, let’s face it, a few strangers). But instead of sharing your dog’s latest trick or that “hilarious” Zoom fail, you’re dishing out motivational monologues and satirical success stories that could make Shakespeare blush.

Where else could someone share a heartfelt tale about slow-cooking chicken in a coffee pot (shoutout to the resourceful hero behind that gem) and have it taken as a genuine lesson in perseverance? LinkedIn’s evolved into this unique space where everything, no matter how wild, gets framed as “professional development.” The beauty? Everyone’s wearing their serious face, nodding along to wisdom like, “Always bring chicken to your morning meeting. You never know when you’ll need a snack.”

And it’s not just quirky culinary tips. Remember the “crying CEO” saga? What started as a LinkedIn “vulnerability moment” quickly turned into a viral sensation, leaving us all wondering if the platform had crossed into some parallel universe where emotion and professionalism mix like cold brew and tears. Yet, somehow, LinkedIn kept on trucking like nothing happened, with people liking, commenting, and offering advice as if it were all par for the watercooler course.

Now, LinkedIn’s beauty lies in its professional pretense. No matter how absurd the story, there’s always that undercurrent of sincerity because, well, it’s LinkedIn, right? You can push satire to the brink, and people will believe it — because we’re trained to expect “career lessons” from every post, even if it involves cats attending board meetings or your 8-year-old launching a startup during recess.

So, why WaterCooler Social? Because that’s what LinkedIn has become: a place where you drop casual stories with the intensity of a TED Talk, and somehow, everyone plays along. Maybe it’s time we lean into that vibe — where the professional mask slips just enough to reveal the person behind the tie, but we all pretend it’s still a “networking opportunity.”

At the end of the day, LinkedIn could slap on the WaterCooler rebrand, and no one would blink. We’d all just “like” it, post about how adaptability is key in the modern workforce, and move on to the next success story about someone who turned a lemonade stand into a billion-dollar SaaS company. All while sipping our LinkedIn-approved coffee pot chicken.

Soon, the classic watercooler content; sharing movie review on the LinkedIn feed.

Oh, too late. My Movies for Founders List on Reelay.