Adapt or Perish: LinkedIn India Chief Urges Professionals to Embrace Evolving Skills

As of September 2025, LinkedIn India's country manager Kumaresh Pattabiraman has urged working professionals to stop defining themselves solely by job titles and instead focus on developing versatile, evolving skills. Pattabiraman explains that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the nature of jobs, but it is not displacing workers on a large scale.

"So, as a professional today, it would be smart not to think of your job as the exact title that you have, but instead as a set of highly-adaptable, evolving skills that will help you achieve something in the workforce," Pattabiraman said in the interview.

The LinkedIn executive underscores the importance of adaptability, community support, and the strategic use of AI in navigating the uncertain economic landscape of 2025. To assist jobseekers, LinkedIn has introduced new features such as Job Match, which helps candidates identify positions where they are the best fit, and AI-powered coaching tools to prepare for critical career moments.

Pattabiraman also notes that India is LinkedIn's second-largest and fastest-growing market, with the potential to soon become the largest professional networking platform globally. He views India as a "signpost" for the future of work, stating that by solving challenges in the Indian market, LinkedIn can better serve its 1.2 billion members worldwide.