Late last week, LinkedIn notified us that they were going to shut off our access to their API, indicating that we’re violating their terms of use. Even though we strongly disagree with their decision, we also understand it’s theirs and we respect it. They have been nothing but courteous, responsive, and friendly. We hope we can help each other in the future as we build the best matches between companies and people who want to work together.
The disruption in our service is actually going to be really minimal. We were not using any LinkedIn data in our matching algorithm, and we were not using any LinkedIn data for companies. The only Linkedin data we were accessing was the employment history and education of candidates (so they don’t have to type it again), as well as friends they could invite via Linkedin.
From now on, candidates can either import their work history and education from Facebook, or type it themselves. We’ve tried to make it very simple and easy, and there are some more exciting add-ons we’ll be rolling out in the next few weeks to enhance candidate profiles so that they can distinguish themselves to companies. Obviously, candidates will no longer be able to login or sign-up with LinkedIn, or invite their LinkedIn friends directly, but they can continue to invite them by email or through Facebook. For candidates who’ve used LinkedIn in the past to login or sign-up, a separate email with detailed instructions will be coming your way, so be sure to check your inbox and contact support@whitetruffle with any questions.
We’re committed to our vision of helping everyone get the right job and every company the right team so that we can help them continue to innovate and produce amazing products and services. The reason that hundreds of companies and thousands of candidates are using Whitetruffle is a pure testament to our existence, and we’re honored to be able to contribute to their success. As CEO and co-founder of Whitetruffle, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of our users. I’m proud of my team and what we have accomplished so far. We are very excited about our future together!