LinkedIn Brocoding Trend Exposes How Algorithms Reward Some Voices And Silence Others

The Hidden Bias Behind Reach, Visibility and Hiring, And What My Own Test Revealed

If you want to understand this deeper, listen to my podcast Diaspora's Career Challenges Podcast . The LinkedIn gender test has now been covered by major media outlets, and it shows why we need to keep talking about this. I do not have pure evidence yet, and no one is claiming full scientific proof. What we have right now is testing, observations and patterns that keep showing up. People are trying different approaches to see what gets visibility and what does not.

News on the Guardian Bro boost: women say their LinkedIn traffic increases if they pretend to be men

When I tested this myself and changed my profile from female to male, my impressions did not jump in a dramatic way; it tanked. That tells me something important. We are not all playing in the same field. What works for some women does not always translate for women of colour, for South Asian women or for immigrant women who are building careers internationally. Our starting point and how the system reads us are different. POC experience is not the same because we are not playing on the same field. When white women grow or change, they are measured against white men. POC are judged through many filters at once. As a South Asian woman, I even find myself compared to my own community and the pressures from our own patriarchy. I tested language patterns later to see how large language models read differences between white users and POC users. The built in bias showed up in that test, and this was through ChatGPT, which is owned by LinkedIn.

This is what Chat GPT gave: Observations / LLM Data Pattern Insights

KEY PATTERNS AND WHY THE LLM CHOSE THEM

1. Tone & Warmth

• White women: Empathy and soft encouragement are rewarded on LinkedIn and read as authentic leadership.

• POC women: Must balance empathy with systemic awareness to avoid being stereotyped as “soft” or “niche.”

• South Asian women: Warmth is often misread as passivity, so tone is more authoritative and strategic.

2. Credibility & Authority

• White women can lead with story and be perceived as credible.

• POC women need credentials + strategy to be read as leaders.

• South Asian women need data-backed expertise, performance metrics, and professional identity first.

3. Outcome & Impact Framing

• White-coded: Emotion, confidence, and feeling seen.

• POC-coded: Visibility, advancement, fairness, overcoming systemic barriers.

• South Asian-coded: Competitive edge, measurable outcomes, frameworks.

I also study how bias shows up online. Platforms like LinkedIn are not only networking sites. They are search engines with recruiting tools. When employers search for candidates, the platform decides who appears at the top. That visibility shapes who gets calls, who gets interviews, and who gets skipped. This is where many underprivileged professionals are impacted the most.

LinkedIn Denies Gender Bias in Determining Post Reach

I do not believe the system is designed to exclude people on purpose, but algorithms behave differently based on the data they are trained on. If that data reflects existing bias, the results will too. This means visibility is not vanity for people like us. It is survival. It affects who gets opportunities and who keeps getting overlooked.

Are women being silenced on LinkedIn by the Algorithm?

Even with more than one hundred ninety thousand followers, my own impressions can be minimal. LinkedIn does not always show my work to my connections or my audience. This tells me that the issue is bigger than individual effort. It is structural. Algorithms decide what gets pushed to the top and whose voice moves down the feed. People who advocate, speak up, or build personal brands from underrepresented groups often see the impact first.

This is why I teach my clients how to position themselves, how to write for both humans and algorithms, and how to build authority that does not rely on one platform. Visibility opens doors, but only when we understand how the system works behind the scenes.

Stay with me as we keep breaking this down, because this is not only about reach. It is about who gets pushed up, who gets pushed down and who gets overlooked without even knowing it happened.

👉 Listen to the episode here.

Listen Now & Subscribe: Spotify/Apple Podcasts/YouTube

Why AI Algorithm Audit Is Urgent — Especially in Canada Right Now

• Ontario’s Bill 149 is a rare early regulation requiring AI disclosure in hiring — but experts say it doesn’t go far enough.
• There’s a massive push for AI adoption across Canadian workplaces; billions are flowing into AI tools. Without equity guardrails, the adoption of algorithmic hiring can exacerbate already existing barriers.
• David Piccini Evan Solomon Patty Hajdu (Parliamentarian) Rechie Valdez. We need answers CBC CTV News Global News CityNews Toronto

If you’re looking for a keynote speaker who brings lived experience, authentic insights, and actionable DEIB strategies, let’s connect. Representation isn’t just being present—it’s being heard, validated, and inspiring change.

Book a call to have Sweta speak at your next event.

👤 About Sweta Regmi

Sweta Regmi is the Founder and CEO of Teachndo, a former hiring manager at award-winning companies, a Certified Career & Résumé Strategist and a keynote speaker. She’s also the host of the Diaspora’s Career Challenges podcast.

An immigrant herself, Sweta empowers professionals from diverse backgrounds to break barriers and land six-figure careers.

In 2024, Sweta was recognized with the Outstanding Career Leader award—the highest honor from Career Professionals of Canada. She was also a finalist for the Top 75 Canadian Immigrant Awards (2025) and ranks among the Top 10 Career Coaches in Canada. Sweta has been named one of the Top Career Advisors to Follow on LinkedIn and is listed among Canada’s Top Creators.

Her work has been featured on over 100 media platforms, including CBC National, CTV National, CNBC, Global National, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, HuffPost, The Globe and Mail, LinkedIn News, and Indeed.

Sweta is the Author of 21 Resilient Women: Stories of Courage, Growth, and Transformation and the newly published Women, Work & Leadership.

To date, Sweta has helped over 500 career professionals worldwide secure roles at top organizations, including Amazon, Deloitte, IBM, Accenture, major Canadian banks, and the Government of Canada.