No, I will not ‘jump on a call to explore synergies’

You know what fills me to the core with ennui? LinkedIn DMs to the effect of “Can we jump on a call to explore potential collaborations?”

I guess this is what MidJourney thinks someone on a video call looks like.

I’m all for networking and discussing opportunities, but let’s not dance around the maypole here. If you’re reaching out to suggest a call, please come prepared with a concrete idea or area of collaboration in mind. Our time is our most precious commodity, and vague invitations to brainstorm are becoming a taxing overture in a busy symphony of commitments.

A cold call with no agenda? That’s a hard pass from me. Unless you have some vague idea about what you want to discuss — and either what you want to offer or something you’d like to ask for — this smells like a waste of time all around.

Yours truly,

Grumpy old man who’s too busy for random phone calls.