LinkedIn has quietly concluded its experiment with alternate feed options, often displayed as “pills” at the top of the main feed. These tabs offered users the ability to switch between three feeds: the algorithmic “For You,” a “Following” view limited to updates from connections, and a “News” tab curated by LinkedIn editors. This comes not long after the dual-tab testing, which included an “All” and “My Network” option. However, this feature was only available to a select group of U.S. users and is now being discontinued.
The rollout of this multi-feed setup appeared to be an attempt to give users more control over the content they encounter. Early examples, shared by social media analyst Lindsay Gamble, illustrated how users could shift focus from algorithm-driven content to friend updates or editorially selected news. Yet, the Help Center update suggests the test has ended: “If you no longer see the pills at the top of your feed, it’s because the feature was part of a limited test that has now ended.”
LinkedIn seems to have reverted to its default, algorithm-driven feed. While alternate feeds could promote user autonomy by prioritizing content from connections or news, the company appears to believe that the algorithmic feed better sustains user interaction, and likely has data frmo the tests that either backs that up or makes it clear that users wouldn’t use the alternate feeds as much as expected.
It’s unclear if this will be the final feed test by LinkedIn, given that the platform has done multiple feed experiments in recent months. Technically, these tests have been ongoing since at least 2022 in one form or another, so LinkedIn may simply be stepping back from the tests to rethink how they want to approach their platform’s feeds.
