In a shocking LinkedIn post, Goa-based personal brand-building expert Jatin Saini has accused a prominent LinkedIn creator of masterminding a toxic “pod-culture mafia” aimed at manipulating engagement and bullying smaller content creators. Saini, who shared his disturbing experience on the platform, claims that the influencer pressures lesser-known creators to like, comment, and share their posts, creating a toxic and coercive online environment.
“I’m genuinely scared writing this. But after months, I’ve finally found the courage to speak up,” Saini stated in his post, which quickly gained traction. He alleged that the influencer, with over 500,000 followers, built his massive online presence by using engagement pods—private groups where members agree to like and comment on each other’s posts to boost engagement.
Saini recounted how he briefly joined one of these pods two years ago, driven by curiosity, but quickly left after witnessing how the system operated. According to him, the creator runs multiple WhatsApp groups with around 200 smaller creators in each. These creators are allegedly “aggressively” pressured into daily interactions with the influencer’s posts.
“If anyone misses liking or commenting? He sends aggressive follow-ups and threatens to REPORT their profiles,” Saini claimed, warning that these threats could lead to account suspensions if enough group members followed through with mass reporting.
“This isn’t growth. This is bullying. This isn’t community-building. This is intimidation,” Saini remarked, stating that he could not stay in such a toxic space. He stopped short of naming the creator but implied that many in the LinkedIn space would know exactly who he was referring to.
Saini’s post has sparked a divisive reaction on social media. Many applauded him for speaking out against what they consider a harmful and unethical practice, with one user commenting, “It’s not the algorithms that are poisoning the well, it’s the people who weaponize them, turning communities into compliance machines and influence into a game of fear.”
However, some users were skeptical, questioning the idea that professional LinkedIn users could be so easily coerced into participating. “I don’t get it, people on LinkedIn are not some children who can get bullied. They know better than to be bullied,” one user argued.
Despite mixed reactions, Saini concluded his post by urging others to speak up if they have faced similar experiences. “This needs to stop,” he added, calling on the LinkedIn community to reject unethical growth tactics that undermine the platform’s core values.