Thought Leader Posts 2,000 Words on Authenticity, Did Not Write Any of Them

Personal brand strategist Todd Ferrier has published a 2,000-word LinkedIn essay on the importance of “showing up as your authentic self in the age of AI,” none of which he wrote, read in full, or was able to summarise when asked.

The post, titled Why Authenticity Is the Only Moat Left, was generated in a single pass after Ferrier typed “make me sound like a founder who’s been through some things” into a tool he declined to name.

“The ideas are mine. I approved every word,” Ferrier said. “I just didn’t type them, or read them. But the voice is one hundred per cent me. That’s the part people connect with.”

The essay opens with a personal anecdote about a 2014 solo hike Ferrier did not take, a mentor named Sandra who does not exist, and a rock-bottom moment he later described as “probably an amalgam.” It closes by urging readers to “resist the temptation to outsource your voice.”

The essay also contains forty-one em dashes, a line break after every sentence, and the phrase “let that sink in” three times. It is his best-performing post to date.

The post has 1,300 reactions. The top comment, “This really resonated,” came from an account listing its title as “Prompt Engineer & Storyteller.”

Colleagues report Ferrier now begins most mornings by asking a chatbot what he believes.

He is currently writing an e-book about authenticity.

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