LinkedIn's AI screening tools are blocking qualified candidates from jobs they're perfect for. We investigate how automated recruiting broke the job market—and what both sides get catastrophically wrong. Comedian and recruiter Lindsay Adams brings a unique dual perspective: the comedy of watching candidates optimize for bots, and the tragedy of talent disappearing into ATS black holes. She reveals what actually happens when your application hits "Submit." Discussed in this episode: - How LinkedIn's AI actually evaluates profiles (and what recruiters see that you don't) - Why 75% of qualified candidates get auto-rejected before human review - Red flags recruiters spot instantly—and how to avoid them - The truth about ghost jobs, automated rejections, and ATS systems - Whether the job market is actually broken or just badly designed - What candidates get wrong about optimizing for algorithms - How recruiters are just as frustrated as job seekers Real talk about automated recruiting from someone who sees both sides: the candidates desperately trying to game the system, and the recruiters drowning in AI-sorted noise.

Sources: LinkedIn recruiting data, ATS system analysis, recruiter testimonials, job search statistics Perfect for: Job seekers, recruiters, hiring managers, anyone who's sent 500 applications with zero response, design teams building recruiting tools, people who think LinkedIn is where careers go to die

Guest: Lindsay Adams (Comedian & Recruiter) Get the job search survival guide: uxmurdermystery.com --- UX Murder Mystery is a joint production of EVE user experience design agency and Crowley UX, where systems meet stories. Hosted by Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden. Edited by Kelsey Smith. Intro animation and logo design by Brian J. Crowley. Music by Nicholas Lee. Follow us: @uxmurdermystery Email: questions@uxmurdermystery.com © 2025 Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden. All rights reserved.

The UX job market isn't just "tough"—it's forcing designers to leave the country, abandon expensive cities, and consider completely different careers. Brian and Eve get real about what's happening in tech right now: the inhumane way companies handle layoffs, why AWS outages reveal deeper problems with cost-cutting, and whether forming tech unions could actually protect workers. This episode covers: - Real stories: Designers leaving the US because they can't afford to stay, people abandoning LA and Chicago, colleagues surviving war zones while staying employed - How Q4 budget planning locks you out of 2026 roles if you're not already approved - Why the AWS outage (affecting 85% of the internet) might be the result of firing critical staff - The inhumane reality of tech layoffs: Google's weekend lockouts, no severance, predatory COBRA healthcare costs - Could tech unions work? Discussion of Ethan Marcott's "You Deserve a Tech Union" - Why you CAN legally discuss wages at work (and why companies try to stop you) - Dark UX patterns destroying our bodies and minds through social media addiction - What we lost when the internet became pure consumerism Plus: Why Brian misses when the internet was fun, Eve's Gen Z kids refusing social media, and what fascia damage tells us about smartphone addiction. Content note: This episode discusses economic anxiety, deportation fears (ICE raids in Chicago), job loss trauma, and the mental health toll of job insecurity. We don't sugarcoat how bad it is, but we also discuss collective action and ways forward. Sources: AWS outage reports, tech layoff data, labor organizing research, personal testimonies Perfect for: UX designers job searching, laid-off tech workers, anyone considering unionizing, design managers, tech workers feeling burned out, people questioning whether tech is worth it anymore

Clippy never died. It just evolved into the intrusive AI assistants plaguing us today. In this episode, Brian and Eve investigate why tech companies keep building "helpful" features nobody wants, from Microsoft's tone-deaf Copilot to the Rabbit AI device that projects interfaces onto your hand (seriously). We dissect the pattern of solutions searching for problems, explore how AI-generated slop is drowning social media, and reveal why startups need UX research before developers touch code. Plus: the dark side of technology changing human behavior, and why your next "helpful" AI suggestion might be tomorrow's punchline. Got a product failure we should investigate? Drop your tips in the comments. Whistleblowers welcome.

UX MURDER MYSTERY
HOSTED BY Brian J. Crowley Eve Eden
EDITED BY Kelsey Smith
INTRO ANIMATION & LOGO DESIGN Brian J. Crowley
MUSIC BY Nicolas Lee
A JOINT PRODUCTION OF EVE | User Experience Design Agency and CrowleyUX | Where Systems Meet Stories

©2025 Brian J. Crowley and Eve Eden Email us at: questions@UXmurdermystery.com

Thank you for watching and or listening!

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are commentary and speculation, not statements of fact. All discussions about real companies, individuals, or organizations are based on publicly available information, media reports, and personal opinions offered for the purpose of critique, education, and storytelling. We make no representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of any information discussed. Nothing in this podcast should be interpreted as a factual assertion about the actions, motives, or intentions of any individual or corporate entity. Listeners should conduct their own research before drawing conclusions. The creators and guests of this podcast disclaim all liability for any loss, harm, or damages arising from reliance on any information or opinions presented. Names, characters, and events may occasionally be dramatized or fictionalized for illustrative purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is purely coincidental.