**The Great LinkedIn Ban: How Artisan AI’s Guerilla Marketing Scheme Went Awry**
It’s not every day that a company gets banned from a major platform and still manages to come out on top. But that’s exactly what happened to Artisan AI, a San Francisco-based AI startup that’s been making waves in the industry with its innovative sales platform.
**So, what happened?**
It all started when Artisan AI’s LinkedIn page, as well as individual employee profiles and executive posts, suddenly displayed a “This post cannot be displayed” message. The company had been using an AI agent called Ava to find and contact potential prospects, and LinkedIn took issue with this. But it wasn’t because of spammy behavior (contrary to what some viral posts claimed). Nope, the real reason was that Artisan AI had used LinkedIn’s name on its website without permission and allegedly scraped data from the platform without asking.
**A lesson in terms of service**
Let this be a reminder to all the entrepreneurs out there: violating LinkedIn’s terms of service (or any social media platform’s, for that matter) can have serious consequences. Artisan AI had to take down all mentions of LinkedIn from its website and get a crash course in third-party vendor verification to ensure that its data partners were compliant with LinkedIn’s policies.
**From ban to boom**
The irony? Despite its ban, Artisan AI saw an unexpected surge in leads, likely thanks to all the buzz around its temporary exile. CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack joked that if they’d planned it, it would have been a great marketing scheme. But in reality, he was shocked to receive an email from LinkedIn on a Friday night just before the holiday.
**What’s next for Artisan AI?**
The company’s on the path to redemption, with a new and improved version of its AI agent, Ava, on the horizon. This new version will be more autonomous and able to contact prospects across more channels. Who knows, maybe this experience will help Artisan AI come out stronger and more compliant on the other side.
**The bigger picture: what does this mean for AI agents on LinkedIn?**
The takeaway? Big Tech (including LinkedIn) is paying attention, and it’s not okay to play fast and loose with the rules. While Artisan AI’s ban was a black eye for the company, it’s also a reminder of the importance of doing things right.
**Read the full story on TechCrunch**
If you want to know more about the whole ordeal, check out the original story on TechCrunch.
