LinkedIn getting a free upgrade that'll add TikTok-style features

LinkedIn has confirmed that it's testing new features that will add a short-form video feed to its app, as had been reported. 

The social media network confirmed to TechCrunch that the rumoured TikTok-esque feed was real, as had already been demonstrated by a LinkedIn post from a user who appeared to have early access to the feature. 

The post showed a new tab added to the navigation of the LinkedIn app at the bottom of the screen, called simply "video". Much like YouTube Shorts' implementation, tapping on this tab takes users to a vertically scrolling feed of algorithmically selected videos from creators. 

Much as you'll have seen in other apps, each video has the option to leave a like behind, a comments section you can tap on to view, a share button and a mute button for sound control. 

This keeps things fairly simple, although it'll obviously be interesting to see how much content there actually is when this arrives. You'd imagine that LinkedIn's marketplace of professionals will presumably be producing slightly less video on average than those rooted on TikTok or Instagram Reels. 

Still, it doubtless won't take long for people to realise that there's a new avenue for their vertically-oriented video clips once it does go live.

There's no timeline on that process at present. LinkedIn hasn't said anything beyond confirming that it's working on the feature.

It looks fairly final in that video, though, so don't be surprised if this arrives in a software update pretty soon. 

There's a fairly logical connection that we can speculate on between the explosive success of content geared around workplace advice and professional topics on TikTok, and the arrival of this new feature for LinkedIn.

That the biggest professional networking site in the world would like a slice of that pie isn't exactly a difficult idea to get your head around. 

What will remain to be seen, of course, is whether the feature has the staying power to become a permanent part of the LinkedIn experience, which will likely depend on how much people embrace it and actually post to it directly.