For job searching, not being on it won't hurt you in any way, but you're missing out on potential upside in terms of recruiting. You can have a LinkedIn, use it

For job searching, not being on it won't hurt you in any way, but you're missing out on potential upside in terms of recruiting. You can have a LinkedIn, use it only for job searching, and not read the bizarre cringe content. If you find value in networking or keeping in touch with people, simply put it is the directory for many industries (including SV tech) and a good way to stay in contact, and I think that you are definitely missing out on the network value if you aren't on it. Like you called out, unlike email it does not require anything proactive and in my experience people are often excited to hear from you years later. I'm not here to tell you what to value though.