LinkedIn’s AI Ban Backfired—But Artisan’s CEO Says He’s Ready for the Next Battle
A startup’s sudden LinkedIn blackout became an unexpected marketing coup—until it revealed the messy legal battle behind the viral moment.
Artisan AI was temporarily banned from LinkedIn for using the platform’s name in marketing and allegedly scraping data via third-party brokers, violating LinkedIn’s terms of service. The CEO, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, acknowledged the irony of the situation:
"Every startup inevitably has some kind of thing that comes back to bite them from things that they do early on," said CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack.
The ban inadvertently boosted Artisan’s lead flow as the event went viral, with Carmichael-Jack joking, "I wish we’d done it on purpose." The company resolved the issue by removing LinkedIn references from its website and vetting data partners for compliance.
Carmichael-Jack downplayed the ban’s impact, citing minimal LinkedIn data usage and an upcoming product update enabling outbound calling as a new sales channel.
