If you’ve spent any time running ads on LinkedIn, you know the drill. You set a budget, pick your target audience—CEOs in Des Moines or software engineers in Berlin—and wait for the leads to roll in. But for a few years, some advertisers felt like the math just didn't add up. They were seeing high engagement numbers that didn't translate to real-world results.
Honestly, it wasn't just a hunch. It turned into a massive legal headache known as In re LinkedIn Advertising Metrics Litigation.
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Basically, a group of advertisers got fed up and sued the tech giant, claiming LinkedIn was inflating its ad metrics. They alleged they were being overcharged for video views that nobody actually saw and clicks that weren't exactly "human." After years of legal back-and-forth, the case finally hit a major milestone in late 2024 and early 2025.
The $6.6 Million Question
In July 2024, LinkedIn decided to settle. They agreed to pay $6.625 million to put the whole thing to bed. It’s a decent chunk of change, but when you spread it across hundreds of thousands of advertisers, nobody is exactly retiring on their share.
The settlement was designed to compensate U.S. advertisers who bought ads through LinkedIn Marketing Solutions (LMS) between January 1, 2015, and May 31, 2023.
Why did it take so long?
The lawsuit, led by companies like TopDevz and Noirefy, started way back in 2020. It was actually dismissed at one point by U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen in 2021. She basically said the plaintiffs couldn't prove they didn't have other ways to get their money back. But the advertisers didn't give up. They appealed to the 9th Circuit, and while that was hanging over LinkedIn's head, the two sides sat down for mediation.
They eventually shook hands on the $6.6 million figure, which the court officially approved in January 2025.
What went wrong with the metrics?
The core of the problem was a "software bug."
LinkedIn actually admitted back in November 2020 that they found some glitches. Specifically, their system was overcounting video views. In some cases, advertisers were being charged for a "view" even if the video was playing off-screen while a user scrolled past it. Imagine paying for a billboard that’s face-down on the ground. Not great.
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LinkedIn said the bugs affected about 418,000 instances of overcharges. Most of these were small—under $25 each.
But the plaintiffs argued the issue was deeper than just a few bugs. They pointed to:
- Bot traffic: Claims that automated accounts were inflating click counts.
- Mistaken clicks: Users accidentally hitting an ad while trying to scroll.
- Opaque Reporting: The fact that LinkedIn didn't allow third-party auditors (like Oracle's Moat or DoubleVerify) to verify everything at the time.
The "Hidden" wins for advertisers
While the $6.6 million makes the headlines, the most interesting part of the settlement isn't the cash. It’s the auditor.
As part of the deal, LinkedIn committed to hiring an external, independent auditor for two years. This person's sole job is to review the platform's ad metrics and make sure the math is actually mathing. For an industry that has long struggled with "walled gardens" (where platforms grade their own homework), this is a pretty big win for transparency.
LinkedIn also agreed to make some tweaks to its Ads Agreement to be more upfront about how metrics are calculated.
Why this matters for your 2026 ad spend
If you were part of the class, you probably already received a notice or a small credit. If you’re just starting out, this case is a reminder that you can't always take platform-native dashboards as gospel.
Digital advertising is messy. Even the biggest players like Microsoft (which owns LinkedIn) aren't immune to technical errors that can eat into your ROI.
Actionable Next Steps for Advertisers:
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- Check your historical credits: If you advertised between 2015 and 2023, you might have already received a "makegood" credit in your account. Go back through your billing history to see if LinkedIn proactively refunded you before the settlement was finalized.
- Use third-party tracking: Don't just rely on the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. Use UTM parameters and robust website analytics (like GA4 or Adobe) to see if the clicks LinkedIn says they delivered actually landed on your site.
- Audit your "View" definitions: Remember that a "view" isn't always someone watching your video with rapt attention. Check your 25%, 50%, and 75% completion rates to see where people are actually dropping off.
- Demand transparency: If you're spending significant budget, ask your LinkedIn rep about their current third-party verification partners. The "walled garden" era is slowly cracking, and you have more leverage than you think to ask for verified data.
The LinkedIn litigation wasn't just about a few million dollars. It was a wake-up call for the entire industry. It proved that even when "bugs" happen, the responsibility stays with the platform to provide the transparency that advertisers pay for.