>Look at every famous company and you'll find tactics that you don't agree with

Most people here recognize that growth hacking is necessary for a startup to grow. The users complain only when the tactics employed do not result in a better experience for them. This was not the case when AirBnB, YouTube, etc executed their growth hacking tactics.

AirBnB: Their growth hacking tactic of posting to Craigslist resulted in a better experience for their existing users. YouTube: Their subtle permission to upload and watch copyrighted videos resulted in a better experience for their existing users.

LinkedIn though, seems to be misleading their existing users. That is why you see plenty of these comments. So, it is not a case of "nerds being nerds" (paraphrased) as someone commented elsewhere in this thread.