Metrics question

You are a PM for LinkedIn Trust Team. A number of senior influencers at LinkedIn have complained that they receive innumerable spam connection requests and they threaten to leave the platform or launch a tirade against LinkedIn. What do you do?

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What this question tests

Tests trust and safety crisis management balancing a vocal, high-influence user segment's complaint against broader platform-wide spam policy.

Take the complaint seriously but verify the scope first: confirm via data whether spam connection requests to senior influencers are a genuine spike or a longstanding, now-vocalized issue.
Segment the root cause: distinguish automated bot-driven spam from legitimate but excessive cold outreach (e.g. sales prospecting), since the fix differs for each.
Propose a tiered fix: stronger automated detection and rate-limiting for bot-like connection request patterns, plus a 'high-profile account' protection mode allowing stricter default filters for users who opt in.
Communicate directly and promptly with the affected influencers, showing the specific steps being taken, since the immediate relationship risk (churn threat) needs direct reassurance alongside the technical fix.
Define success: reduction in spam connection request reports from this segment specifically, and retention of the affected influencer accounts, since losing high-profile users has outsized platform impact.

Distinguishes bot spam from legitimate-but-excessive outreach, since conflating them risks over-restricting normal networking behavior for everyone.
Proposes a targeted protection layer for high-profile accounts rather than a blunt platform-wide change that could hurt normal user growth features.
Balances the urgent relationship-management need (direct communication with threatening-to-leave influencers) with the underlying technical fix, addressing both.
Picks a segment-specific success metric (spam reports from this group, their retention) rather than a vague platform-wide spam number.

Proposing a platform-wide restrictive change without considering the impact on normal user growth and networking behavior.
Focusing only on the technical fix and ignoring the urgent need to directly communicate with the threatening-to-leave influencers.

How would you balance stricter spam controls against LinkedIn's core growth incentive of easy networking?
How would you measure whether the fix actually reduced spam versus just reduced reporting?