I completely disagree with other people's attitudes on this point - startups definitely need to be wary of using third party APIs, but it is incumbent upon comp

I completely disagree with other people's attitudes on this point - startups definitely need to be wary of using third party APIs, but it is incumbent upon companies to create clear and stable terms for developers to operate within if they are thinking of opening an API. It's completely unfair to make representations to people that they rely on to their detriment and then renege at the last minute. Let's be clear too - it's not as if these guys were making a porn application or something that violated LinkedIn's TOS. Nor were they acting without LinkedIn's consent. Companies reserve rights to revoke access without reason in order to limit their legal liability but they need to be wary of the non-legal consequences to their reputation. This is an unmitigated disaster for LinkedIn. Obviously if it is a professional network, and they as a company already offer a number of solutions to recruiters, companies and professionals, then almost every app made for their platform is going to compete with their own offerings in some way. If they aren't willing to set clear boundaries in this regard then they simply need to shut down the API and stop wasting everyone's time. In any event, even if they leave it open they can forget about people making a serious investment in the platform.