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LeadershipISSUE 39 | JULY 2025 29I built a LinkedIn audience of 98,000 followers.And just like that, it was gone.No warning.No email.No %u201cHey Mark, we%u2019re just checking something.%u201dJust a big restricted message when I tried to log in on Friday night.For 72 hours, I had no access.To my posts.To my DMs.To my identity online.Then the messages started rolling in%u2026%u201cHave you deleted LinkedIn?%u201d%u201cWhere%u2019s your profile gone?%u201d%u201cI%u2019ve just tried to tag you in a post%u201dThat%u2019s when it hit me:98,000 followers46,000 newsletter subscribers7+ years of consistent postingZero controlGone in a blink.No matter how big your audience%u2026No matter how consistent you%u2019ve been%u2026If it lives on someone else%u2019s platform, you don%u2019t own it.This isn%u2019t a pity post.It%u2019s a wake-up call.Because if LinkedIn can shut down my account without warning%u2026they can do it to yours.