PR stunt or promotional strategy? Netizens poke fun as Gaurav Taneja gets locked out of LinkedIn

New Delhi: Gaurav Taneja, also known as Flying Beast, is once again trending online. This time, the 38-year-old internet sensation is not going viral for any of his YouTube vlogs or Instagram posts. Instead, the social media influencer is garnering the attention of netizens with his latest post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

On Monday (January 27, 2025), Gaurav took to the microblogging platform to seek help from LinkedIn India after being locked out for more than 48 hours. He asked for assistance in getting his account back. Check out his post:

Hi team @LinkedInIndia . I have been locked out of my account for 48+ hrs now.
Can you help me get the account back please
Thanks@LinkedInHelp

— Gaurav Taneja (@flyingbeast320) January 27, 2025

However, social media users flocked to the comments section to flaunt their humour. While some called it a PR stunt, there were others who were convinced it was a promotional strategy.

Sir aap entrepreneur ho! Ek aur LinkedIn khada kar do! 💪😎

— OoltaChashma (@Mehtakyakehta29) January 27, 2025

You’re good influencer but terrible app operator 😂

— Dr Ronak 🆇 (@ronakgotnochill) January 27, 2025

Another publicity stunt shuru😂😂

— TARUSH DUTT (@tarush_dutt) January 27, 2025

It’s just marketing strategy

— DGhost (@d_goldrush) January 28, 2025

“Sir, you’re an entrepreneur! Create another LinkedIn!” commented a social media user. Another wrote, “You’re a good influencer but a terrible app operator.” Gaurav’s tweet has received more than 70,000 views from X users so far.

Gaurav Taneja on Shark Tank India 4

In one of the recent episodes of Shark Tank India season 4, Gaurav appeared to seek funding for his fitness and wellness brand, named BeastLife. He was accompanied by his business partner Raj Gupta on the set.

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A post shared by Beast Life (@beastlife.india)

Gaurav initially impressed the venture capitalists on the panel by revealing that he made Rs 1 crore in sales within an hour of launching its password-protected website. However, things went downhill from there.

Anupam Mittal labelled Gaurav as a good influencer, but a terrible entrepreneur. Other judges agreed with the opinion of the Shaadi.com founder and, ultimately, Gaurav’s pitch was rejected as he did not secure any funding on the business-based reality show.

Who is Gaurav Taneja?

For the unversed, Gaurav is one of the biggest social media influencers in India, enjoying a massive following on Instagram and YouTube. He started his career with fitness-related content but later expanded his horizon to lifestyle vlogging.