Lunchclub uses AI to connect people. This is its advantage over traditional networking. Because the AI connects people, we don’t have to expend the effort necessary to search and set up meetings that characterizes traditional networking.

About a month after I joined Lunchclub, I was connected with Phillip, a creative director. Phillip had designed installations for Tag Heuer, built scenes for The Walking Dead, shown work in the Venice Biennale. I was excited to meet with him.

He did not show up to our video meeting. He did not respond to my follow-up email.

Lunchclub follows up on our video calls. It asks about the quality of our conversation. It asks what we found useful. It asks if our partner showed up. If our partner did not show up, it asks if we had rescheduled. If we had rescheduled, it asks how easy it was to reschedule.

Lunchclub then provides a text box for other comments, where I wrote that Phillip did not show up to our call, nor did he respond to my email.

They then sent me this email:

I’m searching for work in a new industry. It’s difficult. I feel like a kid who has just transferred schools—alone, ignorant, foolish.

This Lunchclub email intensified that feeling. It’s vague, officious, and awkwardly constructed. The lack of attention paid to my emotional state (as representative of the jobseeker persona) is compounded by the lack of attention that Lunchclub has paid to the language in which it expresses itself.

I decided to rewrite the email.

The above is a clearer email, easier to read. But it doesn’t make me feel valuable.

I want to trust Lunchclub. The service is valuable to me. The AI algorithm has allowed me to develop connections that traditional networking does not.

But I am afraid that I will demonstrate no value to others in the community. That’s what bothered me when Phillip didn’t show up.

This email should acknowledge my fear.

This email is a little warmer, but maintains the sober, respectful tone of the earlier iteration.

The email communicates that Lunchclub cares about my experience, and that it understands my fears and motivations.

This understanding is what will keep me on the platform.