Look, I get why people say this, but that's cynical garbage. Real networking is just... talking to people who share your interests? I've built genuine friendships through professional connections, and yeah, sometimes that leads to opportunities, but it's not some calculated scheme. The manipulation angle assumes everyone's a sociopath.

Honestly? It kind of is, at least sometimes. You're performing a version of yourself, strategically positioning your skills, calculating who's 'worth' talking to based on their job title. I networked my way into a six-figure role, and I'll admit - I was absolutely strategic about whose hand I shook. Call it what you want.

Had to go to a conference last month where everyone was working the room like sharks, and it was exhausting watching people fake laugh at bad jokes to impress senior VPs. But then I met this one person who actually just wanted to talk about the work itself, and we've been collaborating ever since. So maybe it's less about networking being inherently manipulative and more about how desperate people approach it.