The Chad & Cheese Podcast

We are unleashed this week as, um, UNLEASH America makes its third trip to the states. The boys wax poetic about their time in Vegas, which includes a Chad & Cheese party, a pot party and selfie consultants … don’t worry, it’ll all make sense. News-wise, CV Wallet raised money, Jobcase cuts heads and CEOs are still losing their minds over remote work. Pass the Tylenol, bet it all on black and enjoy this live episode from a Vegas dive bar.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

There’s all kinds debt. Like our bar tab. Don’t even get us started. Or technical debt, the kind that makes life difficult of developers everywhere, but especially the tech behind a lot of HR tech. That’s why we’ve invited Sean Luitjens, vice president of product management for Korn Ferry Intelligence Cloud to the podcast. After a walk down Memory Lane, highlighting Sean’s days at Monster in the ‘90s, we come back to the 21st Century and talk about issues creating headaches for tech teams today. Additionally, we discuss smart questions customers (that’s probably you) can ask vendors to make sure landmines aren’t stepped on in the future. We also explore if the technical debt can be a good thing, and what the hell is wrong with LinkedIn and its crazy high debt.

Al Smith, CTO at iCIMS, is back on the podcast recording from his front-row seat to the AI race, he talks ChatGPT, chatbots deciding to compete with applicant tracking systems like his, what we can expect from the upcoming INSPIRE conference (icims.com) (new CEO on stage alert!) and why, exactly, he dislikes the term “ATS” so much. Al is always smart, candid, and transparent - almost like he has no filter at all - so this is a must-listen if you want an honest breakdown of the current state of tech at his company and the industry at large.

Companies rise and fall - usually because of of ego and hubris - and our industry is no different. Take CareerBuilder and Indeed for example; each to varying degrees are facing headwinds thanks to the unbridled belief that the good times will always roll and the competition is unworthy. Based on news this week, it’s looking more and more like Indeed is on the road to be the next CareerBuilder, and the boys dig in. Additionally, consolidation continues, as Fama has acquired Social Intelligence, making them a juicy acquisition target for the likes of Checkr and Sterling. What’s more, the CEO of MillerKnoll put her foot in her mouth and is paying the price on social media, while Amazon’s AWS is taking aim at Google and Microsoft’s OpenAi as another player in the artificial intelligence arms race. By the way, if you’re in Vegas for UNLEASH America next week, stop by the WorkHuman booth on Wed. and say Hi (you might even get a T-shirt).

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Zoom - yes, that Zoom - has made an acquisition in the employment space and to say the boys have an opinion is an understatement. Will it be enough to fend off Microsoft, Salesforce, Google and others? So we’re sayin' there’s a chance, and I’ll leave it at that. Then it’s time for Buy-or-Sell with startups Loopin, Pera, and Equitas, which gets pretty ugly, not gonna lie. Lastly, “strategic autonomy” is something we should all add to our bandwidth as France’s Emmanuel Macron talks about moving away from the United States and becoming a third superpower. It all ends up in a pretty animated, colorful episode. Enjoy.

Warning: This episode might make you hungry, as Chik-fil-A, In-N-Out, McDonald’s, and others get mentions. If you dare listen, however, you’ll get knowledge bombs on the trend of remote layoffs, how Hilton is turning happy workers into big profits and taking on AirBNB, and whether employers are “going broke by going woke.” Google’s pay-per-click for job postings gets airtime too … imagine that. And chicken nuggets. Lots of talk about chicken nuggets.

Textio is Toast, OnlyFans is Sleepless & LinkedIn “Clears” Up Listening to Chad & Cheese is like going to your favorite restaurant: You know what’s on the menu, and you know that you love it … which is why you keep coming in for more. Cheese is back from vacation and the boys are covering acquisitions, artificial intelligence, robots, LinkedIn, OnlyFans and so much more. All the flavors you know and love. Specifically, Mitratech has gobbled up Circa and Trakstar, Textio is toast thanks to ChatGPT and the White House sounds off on AI best practices. Then, LinkedIn partners with Clear to verify IDs, Digidog is back on the beat in New York City and Walmart keeps automating to phase out more and more workers. Lastly, the boys introduce you to Claudia, OnlyFans' worst nightmare.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

People love perks. Employees love them even more. Unfortunately, startups looking to make employee perks easy, scalable, and tax-compliant have come and gone over the years. Compt.io thinks they have a better mousetrap. That’s why Amy Spurling, CEO, and founder, has come on the Firing Squad. In a market expected to reach approximately $346 million by 2025, the stakes are high. Does Amy make it out alive? Gotta listen.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

On this week's episode I'm joined by Quincy "Queen of Chatbots" Valencia as Joel continues his aspirations to be more like his idol, Clark Griswold, with a family Vegas vacation. I got nothin' man, seriously. Any who, this week's episode is packed with goodies like: Radancy acquiring Ascendify LeapXpert gives creepy a run for its money Kelly Fusion launches DIGITAL WORKERS! 300 million jobs to be replaced by automation Everybody gonna ChatGPT - Hireology, Beamery, Seekout, Phenom, who else?!?! Is GDPR Europe's secret weapon? ... and your office mates say that you talk too much, you never shut up! It's another tech-packed episode and The Queen of Chatbots is holding court! You're welcome!

Finland joins NATO, virtual cheese is now and thing and WOW, that whole Axel Springer taking Stepstone public isn't going well... Is it? After being acquired by Stepstone, Cammio, a video recruitment platform, is won back through a management buyout. Lieven professes his obsession with ChatGPT. Okay his healthy obsession, while we debate ownership, banning, GDPR, and some techniques. Plus, Buy or Sell with Patch, Cruit, and Epinote. If you're allergic to great content you have been warned, grab your EpiPen, a cold beer and enjoy!

Thank heavens for tenue... How else would The Chad & Cheese's brash, challenging, and no-bullshit attitude get in the same room, hell the same solar system, as NYU and UNC academics? Yup, tenue has got to be the answer. Earlier this year, NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, the 370 Jay Project, and the NYU Tandon Department of Technology, Culture and Society hosted a new discussion in the series “Co-Opting AI”, which included this humble podcast. This event was created to examine how AI intersects with recruiting and with gaining access to the labor market. Taking a deep look into the industry and providing insights on the HR tech sector. The players: Ifeoma Ajunwa is an Associate Professor of Law with tenure at UNC School of Law. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifeomaajunwa/ Mona Sloane is a sociologist working on design and inequality, specifically in the context of AI design and policy. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mona-sloane-ph-d-8b512656/ ...and The Chad & Cheese :) Props to The Co-Opting AI event series and Mona Sloane. It is hosted at IPK and co-sponsored by the 370 Jay Project, and the NYU Tandon Department of Technology, Culture, and Society, and the NYU Center for Responsible AI. https://ipk.nyu.edu/ https://engineering.nyu.edu/academics/departments/technology-culture-and-society https://engineering.nyu.edu/research-innovation/centers/center-responsible-ai

If you’re tired of hearing about ChatGPT, employers and vendors behaving badly, money-grubbing startups, and millions being made on OnlyFans, then maybe this episode isn’t for you. But in the likely chance that these topics are just what the doctor ordered, Chad & Cheese cover: Beamery boarding the ChatGPT train, Deel and Chipotle losing the Employer of the Year competition in just the first quarter of 2023, Buy-or-Sell with Paraform, Workera, and Payday, and a lawyer giving up the legal professional for a lewd career on OnlyFans. Feel free to hold us in contempt of court, counselor! FULL TRANSCRIPT AT chadcheese.com

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Too often, marketing and Human Resources seem to speak different languages, which is a shame, because they have so much in common. The message that happy employees equals happy customers is ignored by too many companies. That’s we brought Brett Marz, co-founder at BAMKO (not to be mistaken for Ronco). Haven’t heard of BAMKO? They’re a more than $200 million company that designs, manufactures, and delivers award-winning branded merchandise for some of the world’s biggest brands, typically supporting employee engagement items. Needless to say, he has a lot to say on the disconnect between marketing and talent acquisition, and you’re going to hear about it. Enjoy.

Today we have a special edition of The Chad & Cheese Podcast for you today. Cue the ABBA music, which can only mean one thing, a Swedish twist as Sara Dalsfelt, Head of Brand and Community, over at Adway invited Joel and me to come on her show to talk about Building a TA Power House through Tech, Automation, & Revenue Growth. With over 1,800 registrants, much like every show, Joel and I knew that we had to bring the heat. So, we did... Enjoy!

Layoffs! Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Indeed dropped a layoff bomb this week, saying adios to 2,200 employees. Paradox officially launched an applicant tracking service, telling Fountain AI, “hold my beer.” Rippling slimes us, Ghostbusters-style. The boys play a little Buy-or-Sell with Rain and RiseKit. Karat acquires TripleByte’s tired ass and Dice gets a proverbial smackdown from the Feds. Whew! There’s a lot of meat on the bones of this week’s show, you lucky bastards.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Jobcase.

If you hear “CTO” and think chief technology officer, you clearly don’t work for United Airlines, where CTO now means chief trash officer. That’s right, United has employed Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch for their latest ad campaign. Don't worry, it’ll make sense after you listen. Additionally, Recruitics has published a great piece on ChatGPT as it pertains to recruiting and we discuss. We go from Grouch to Grinch to end the show, as we chat about Elon Musk’s recent foot-in-mouth actions that make DEI fans cringe and champions of serfdom cheer. Again, just listen, it’ll make sense.

Over 7 million men in America have opted out of the workforce. That’s a big problem for a lot of employers, but it’s an 800 lb. gorilla kind of problem for manufacturing businesses. So what the hell is going on? Thankfully, we invited Patrick O'Rahilly (pronounced like “O’Reilly”), founder at FactoryFix, a company dedicated to curing what ails such businesses. The boys didn’t quite solve this complex problem, but they sure had a lot of fun trying. Almost as much fun as you’ll have listening.

Let’s see, Ted Lasso is back, St. Patrick’s Day is here and March Madness is in full effect. So how exactly are we supposed to muster the strength for a podcast? Well, OK, anything for you, you loyal listening selfish bastard! Here’s what's on tap this week: More Silicon Valley Bank drama, Fountain goes after Paradox, Acquisitions by Textkernel and Andela, Who’d Ya' Rather with Upduo and HeadRace A tale of two cities … one in Florida and one in New York (I know, the suspense is killing you). Now, back to the Jameson. Sláinte!

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

You’ve heard about the meltdown at Silicon Valley Bank, right? Well, did you know that startups that employ more than 10,000 people and have raised venture funding totaling £3.5 billion in the UK were banking with SVB? Sometimes, when Corporate America sneezes, Europe gets a cold. We discuss. Then it’s time for a little Buy-or-Sell with Jobgether, Desana and Horsefly. And what podcast episode in 2023 would be complete without ChatGPT, this time with a European spin? It’s the perfect cocktail of recruitment news and commentary, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

We are total suckers for the ‘80s. That’s why we love Wilco’s website so much. If you haven’t checked it out, do yourself a favor if you love Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong … basically, all-things 8-bit. Anyway, back to business, On Freund and Wilco has created a sort of knowledge base for developers within a company to not only learn new skills but also get the occasional refresher for the more seasoned professional. Is it the next big thing, or destined to the dustbin of history, along with Custer’s Revenge? Gotta listen to find out.

What a week! Fast Company celebrated LinkedIn’s 20th birthday, Indeed relaunched its Gig platform and TikTok is getting closer and closer to a ban in the U.S. Good thing Chad & Cheese are here to help you make sense of everything. In addition, AI has made resume carpet bombing easier than ever, and “body doubling” is now a thing we get to talk about in workforce circles. Money keeps flowing, which means more Buy-or-Sell, this time with Barley, Fount, and Glider AI are on the chopping block. More corporate insanity: Salesforce looks seriously out of touch, laying off thousands of employees while paying actor Matthew McConaughey $10 million annually to be a "creative adviser and TV pitchman" for the firm. It can all make you want to sail away, which is good because a new cruise line promises to be your floating workplace of the future. Ships ahoy! Let’s do this!

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

You've heard it before: "HR deserves a seat at the table." It's far from reality for most organizations that see talent acquisition as a cost center and not the heartbeat of any successful company. That's why we invited Jeff Lackey, founder and CEO at JKL Advisors and podcast host of 'Growing Your Business with People' to come to give some sound advice on how Human Resources can get off the sidelines and into the game. A great discussion for newbies and grizzled veterans alike.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

Joel is haggard from 2,000 miles on the road this week, but that's nothing a beer, chicken tenders, a LIVE recording from a bar in Columbus Indiana, and BIG NEWS can't fix. What big news? Google for Jobs PAID ads present a serious risk to Indeed's new CPSA model ChatGPT presents a serious risk to Indeed's new CPSA model Indeed's model change wasn't timed well Workday's A.I. goes to court Mercer gets a shot of LeapGen botox and Buy or Sell with WorkLlama, Bonusly, and Gable... Sit back, pop a cold one, and enjoy what we do best - drink and talk. You're welcome!

Joel takes this week off from the Europe show but leaves a little Virtual Cheese behind for the listeners. On this week's show: American companies make a vanity play with workers, Facebook steals instead of innovating, Lieven digs into House of HR's big acquisition in Germany Buy or Sell featuring Willo, Crew, and Brigad Plus the newest Serbian delegate to Pornhub Gern geschehen!

Reunited, and it feels so good. Last time we talked to Teddy Chestnut cofounder at Brighthire - the self-proclaimed “first interview intelligence platform” - they were cleaning on big applauses on Firing Squad. That was way back before the pandemic, and needless to say, the world is different. So how are things going. Chad & Cheese bring Teddy back check-in on the startup that was founded back in 2019 and has raised almost $40 million. Even Peaches and Herb would be envious.

You’re gonna feel this one, way deep down in your plums. While the number of companies getting over $50 million in funding these days is light, the number of companies getting millions isn’t waning. That’s why we highlight companies like Plum.io, Workpay, LaborWorx and HireLogic, who’ve gotten funding this week. Want some AI with your startups, we cover news of artificial intelligence algos making layoff decisions at employers. Want some news from the world of remote work? Got that too. Amazon is pivoting to 3-day workweeks, a study of companies going with 4-day workweeks was a great hit and employers who’ve take tax incentives may find themselves forcing employees back to the office. Of course, what episode would be complete with more roasting of Indeed and their new pricing structure; expect this time, the trash talking comes from the buyers on the ground.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

If you believe Europe is a major player in the HR tech landscape - we certainly do - then you need to pay special attention to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, a region where much of the continental growth is happening. To prove that point, Chad & Cheese had Wolfgang Brickwedde, Director of the Institute for Competitive Recruiting on the podcast while hanging out at UNLEASH in Paris. Based in Germany, "Wolfie" is uniquely positioned to give us a deep dive into this crucial region's role in recruitment globally, not just in Europe.

Has Indeed finally gone too far? We dig into the latest from the Indeed / Glassdoor cartel. Their new pricing model is giving customers fits, stickin' it to small- and medium-sized businesses, and in some cases, making taxpayers foot the bill for their evil deeds. Then it’s time for a little Who’d Ya' Rather with Magic.dev and Kanarys. Jumping into Upwork's new full-time offering and a trip back in time where child labor is all the rage in Minnesota and Iowa follow what’s already a bangin' episode. Want more? We dissect bounced checks, unhappy customers, and ruined Thailand vacations, compliments of Starbucks.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

ChatGPT. Deep fakes. Avatars. Google's Bard. In case you haven't noticed, artificial intelligence is changing the game. That's why we have Ryan Steelberg, Veritone's CEO and President, back on the show to check-in on the state of AI and how it impacts employment, as well as everything from communications to advertising and marketing. Veritone, who recently acquired PandoLogic, as well as Pando's Wade & Wendy, conversational AI solutions, also powers Chad & Cheese in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese. ¡Bueno!

Roe v. Wade being overturned has caused a wave of political upheaval in the United States, and many employers are being impacted. It's a big deal, especially for those who hire and employ Millennials and Gen Zs. That's why the boys invited Dr. Tana M. Session, an award-winning consultant, speaker, performance coach and best-selling author to the show. We're breaking down the tough issues and challenges companies are facing with the issue of abortion rights, and even throw in a little pay transparency debate for good measure.

Pretty standard stuff this week: Industry layoffs at Eightfold.ai, Jobcase, and others. Unicorns. The Indeed Cartel. Buy-or-Sell with Moonhub, Listo, and Disclo. Workday's sugar daddy complex and pushes toward a 4-day work week. But while the menu is a bit vanilla, you can rest assured the spices that Chad & Cheese mix into this dish are guaranteed to leave you with a horrible case of heartburn. You have been warned, even though you know you can't look away.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

Lieven and Chad dig deep into this week's topics as Joel takes time with family in Texas complete with a 6-pack of Lonestar. The boys talk about the impact of foreign job cuts in the EU. Is a maddening inflation-bloated economy the reason or just an excuse for Ford and others to bring jobs back to the U.S.? Welcome to the Jungle receives a big funding round and the boys break down the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the platform. Plus, a game of Buy or Sell with Coverflex, Emocional, and new Metaverse player Gemba. All the industry intelligence you can handle - No spy balloons necessary!

Re-skilling and up-skilling were a common theme throughout 2022, and it shows no signs of slowing down as we head into 2023. Turns out, offering candidates and employees the opportunity to grow professionally is great for recruiting and retention. That's why we invited Natalie McCullough president and chief commercial officer at Guild on the podcast. A graduate of Stanford and Harvard Business School, as well as being a Microsoft alum means she's a great person to talk to on the subject matter. Plus: Unicorn alert! Guild has raised over $643 million and has a $3.75 billion valuation. Companies like Walmart and Target rely on them to offer valuable continuing education solutions to their workforce. It's a must-listen for anyone hiring essential workers.

This week, the boys are all over the place. It's like Pulp Fiction were a podcast episode. CareerBuilder's all-white leadership team embraces its inner DEI, Who'd Ya' Rather with Dalia and Cleary. Entelo is turning into those deadly fungi from HBO's 'The Last of Us,' eating Silkroad Technologies from the inside out. Big fast-food chains are taking on California while speeding up that whole 'fewer employees / more robots' thing. Returnships are a new word we're all going to have to get used to and ARK's Cathie Wood believes Amazon could have more robots than employees by 2030. Is your head spinning just reading all that? Just wait till you have a listen.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

We cover all the hot topics in this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast Does Recruitment Marketing: Pay transparency, ChatGPT and the Indeed / Glassdoor cartel. RecrtuimentMarketing.com's Julie Calli joins us, as usual, and her rant on Indeed is a can't-miss for anyone in the business. Plus, how will employers react to the real trend of salary transparency and is "prompt engineering" the new Boolean search string for sourcing pros?

Video. All the kids are doin' it. But how about employers? Start-up JobPixel is pretty confident TikTok-style video is the future of recruiting. That's why Omar Khateeb CEO & founder at JobPixel decided to come on Firing Squad to pitch his company. Video may be the future, but is JobPixel the company that's going to bring it to the masses? Gotta listen to find out.

Agree to disagree. Maybe that should be the title of this week's show, because there's a lot of disagreement this week. Aside from seeing eye-to-eye that the recent acquisition of TalVista by Clovers.ai makes sense, a game of Who'd Ya' Rather between Skillit and Grazzy goes sideways. So does whether or not TikTok is on its way to becoming illegal to use in the U.S. And don't even get us started on minimum wage increases at Walmart. At least we end the week in agreement that interviewing 3D avatars is both cool and creepy as well. And you thought Tengai the Recruiting Robot haunting your dreams for the last couple of years was scary! You ain't seen nothing yet.