Flexible Ethics: How Long Will You Support Big-Tech?

For years, we moved through our professional lives without a second thought to the tools and services we rely on daily—office suites, email, social platforms—and even less thought to their provenance. That complacency is gone.

Over the past few years, governments and movements worldwide have begun confronting the power of big-tech. We can no longer take for granted unquestioned, unfettered access to these services.

Consider what happened just this past weekend. On 10 October 2026, the International Criminal Court discovered it may lose access to its technology services—emails, files, and all other manner of digital infrastructure—if a proposed US sanctions scheme is implemented. A global institution, dependent on American technology, facing potential blackout.

This is why the anti-big-tech movement has blossomed and is gaining credibility worldwide. LinkedIn, among others, has come under significant scrutiny over its data privacy practices.

So here is the question for those of us who identify as ethics- and values-oriented professionals—those who have built a following and considerable brand equity, especially on LinkedIn:

How do you balance your value system against your established equity—measured in followers, connections, and visibility?

It comes down to a fundamental choice. Do you want to choose an ethical, values-based path?

If not, retain the status quo. If you do, here are two routes. Neither is instant, but both offer material rewards.

First, Understand What You're Weighing

Followers vs. Connections. These are not the same, and their value differs depending on your goals.

• If Connections—and by extension, core connections—matter most to you, the relationship-building path (Path A) will be relatively straightforward. You can comfortably begin weaning off LinkedIn while maintaining a core backup network of key relationships.
• If you have a large follower base essential to your profile or business, that is a different journey (Path B).

Both paths share one practice: create posts in Kuerate, then share or copy them into LinkedIn in a format-ready way.

Path A: Build Relationships

On LinkedIn, you may have hundreds or thousands of connections. But what do you actually know about them? How would you categorise or rank them? You likely have no idea—because LinkedIn does not offer that insight.

In Kuerate, your connections become part of a personal CRM. You can categorise, rank, and manage relationships to focus on those that matter. [ https://www.kuerate.com/blog/kuerate-blog-1/quality-over-quantity-relationships-vs-contacts-15 ]

Steps:

1. Import your LinkedIn connections into Kuerate.
2. Categorise them according to your own criteria.
3. Begin inviting key contacts into your Kuerate huddle.

Path B: No Dilemma

If you wish to retain your following while slowly building a parallel, non-big-tech presence, this is your path. [ https://www.kuerate.com/blog/kuerate-blog-1/no-dilemma-kuerate-and-linkedin-17 ]

Steps:

1. Create posts in Kuerate and share them into LinkedIn.
2. Tell your followers you are now available on both platforms.
3. Observe which followers align with your values—they may join you in Kuerate.

In theory, Kuerate users will represent those seeking quality over quantity. You may build a niche following of genuinely aligned individuals.

The Juncture

Whichever path you choose, ethics- and values-based professionals now stand at a juncture: maintain the status quo with big-tech, or join the growing movement toward independence.

The question is not whether you can change. It is whether you have the courage of your convictions—or whether the equity of followers and connections is simply too important to risk.

Do you have the courage to choose a new path?



Photo by Martin Engel on Unsplash