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#38 - A look into the future

The latest HR Tech news

Author

Mike Wood
May 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

The year is 2065. The air is thick with the smell of synthetic coffee beans, and kids gather around, eyes wide with curiosity, as Grandpa Mike settles into the holographic storytelling circle at his grandson's elementary school.

"Believe it or not, kids, I used to be a ninja."

The class gasps. My grandson's jaw drops. "A... ninja?!"

"Yep. A special kind of covert assassin. A social media ninja." I nod solemnly. "Back in the day, I wielded memes like throwing stars and crafted witty corporate posts with the precision of a samurai. I battled algorithms daily, vanquishing poor engagement with snappy captions and carefully curated hashtags."

"But sir," one kid pipes up, "isn't that what AI does now?"

I sigh and pat my knee. "That’s right, kiddo. Until the AI Revolution, we just had our keyboards and Buzzfeed."

Just then, a robotic voice chirps from a child’s pocket: "The AI Revolution started in 2024 with the introduction of ChatGPT."

"Yep," I mutter, adjusting my suspenders, "that's when I became obsolete."

I look at the kids, their faces now curious and a bit confused. "You see, by 2025, computers were already replacing real intelligence for jobs. One major turning point was when Duolingo replaced all their human contractors with AI, claiming they were 'leaning into AI.' Lots of companies were saying that. Unfortunately, we later learned that was just a fancy euphemism for 'staff reduction.' Your parents were fresh out of college back then, and entry-level jobs were practically extinct. Even ninjas weren’t safe."

Another kid raises a hand. "So what did you do next?"

"Well," I say, cracking a smile, "after my ninja days were numbered, I tried gig work. I was a meals on wheels for DoorDash and tried to get whatever work I could to survive. But when the benefits ran out, I took the only job that guaranteed healthcare—a role in one of those shiny new Trump/Elon factories. That’s when things got real tough."

I lower my voice for dramatic effect. "You see, kids, the robots were faster, stronger, and—most annoyingly—never needed a bathroom break. To keep up, I followed their lead and just stopped taking breaks altogether. The only way I could stay competitive was to wear my Trump-branded diaper and change it at the end of each shift. That innovation actually started with Amazon warehouse workers way back in the late teens. I thought of it as paying homage to the original hustle culture."

The kids giggle, half in disbelief, and my grandson beams with pride. "Wow, Grandpa. You were a real-life ninja AND worked for the Trump/Elon factories?!"

"That’s right," I say, leaning back. "And if there's one thing I learned, it's this: The future’s always full of surprises. So keep your imagination sharp and your AI upgrades sharper."

And with that, the bell rings. The kids rush off, mimicking ninja moves and robot efficiency, and I sit back, remembering a time when crafting tweets felt like conquering the world.

****

This isn't reality—yet. But there is a part of me that worries what will happen when everyone "leans into AI." Where will all these displaced workers go? Are we all doomed for factory life? Hopefully not. People, including myself and other ninjas, need to constantly be upskilling. We can be the ones who stay to control the AI. I'm lucky to get daily AI tutorials from HR.com's Mark Vickers, but I've also searched for anything I can find on YouTube. This is the first technology in a long time where everyone is learning at once. The ninjas haven't been created yet and now is the time to lean in on our learning. Don't be the one that's left flat-footed when the cuts come.

Enough doom and gloom, let's move on to this week's news. This edition of The Wrap highlights a surprising Josh Bersin keynote, UNLEASH announcements from Enboarder, Appcast, Inc, Eightfold, Greenhouse Software, and Achievers, HumanIntelligence teaching managers to be human, another Deel scandal, data analysis from Jodie Cherry Roth, AI to understand pets, and the Trump brain drain.

Have a great weekend!

Mike

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📰 What’s New in HR Tech

We're all getting copilots!

Josh Bersin to make his long-awaited return to HR Tech

It's a new era of HR Tech Thought Leadership this fall as Josh Bersin makes his triumphant return to one of HR Tech's biggest, most storied conferences. Josh will be the closing keynote at this Fall's HR Tech Conference in Vegas. It's his first appearance at HR Tech since 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and at least 2015-2020. Opening up the pool of speakers to new blood should help the conference reach a new audience as it seeks to hit new demographics. Act now to reserve your pass, or you'll have to wait to see these insights at the Spring conferences.

Enboarder launches intelligent journey platform to rethink people experience

Enboarder guiding a family through onboarding

Enboarder just unveiled its Intelligent Journey Platform, designed to move beyond static workflows and deliver truly personalized, adaptive experiences across the employee lifecycle. From onboarding to internal mobility, the platform uses data and behavior signals to guide employees through the right moments automatically. It’s part of a growing shift: HR tech that doesn’t just track tasks, but actually nudges people toward better outcomes. Congrats to my old coworker Sarah Mulcahy and team.

Appcast brings programmatic power to search advertising

Appcast, Inc just dropped a first-of-its-kind solution for the recruiting world: programmatic search advertising. This new offering brings the precision and automation of programmatic job ads to platforms like Google Search, helping employers reach active job seekers right when they're searching, not just when they’re scrolling.It’s a big move that blurs the line between job ads and traditional search marketing and could seriously level up visibility for hard-to-fill roles.

Achievers unveils new recognition tools to tackle the manager crisis

One of the many announcements at UNLEASH this week, Achievers rolled out a suite of advanced recognition tools designed to help overwhelmed managers lead more effectively. The platform upgrades aim to make recognition more consistent, personalized, and actionable, closing the gap between intent and impact in people leadership. With burnout rising and frontline managers under pressure, Achievers is betting that better tools can bring back better leadership.

Greenhouse unveils AI tools to do more with less

Greenhouse Software is rolling out a new suite of AI-driven recruiting features aimed at reducing manual tasks and boosting efficiency. From automated candidate sourcing to smarter scheduling, the goal is clear: free up recruiters to focus on the human side of hiring, not the repetitive admin. In a tight talent market, saving time without sacrificing quality is a win for every TA team.

Eightfold AI unveils agentic AI to turn talent intelligence into talent advantage

Eightfold is taking talent management to the next level with the launch of Agentic AI, a growing approach that goes beyond just gathering data to actively guiding decisions. The platform uses advanced algorithms to not only identify potential talent but also predict career growth, optimize internal mobility, and support more strategic workforce planning. It’s a great move aimed at making HR teams more proactive, helping them stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving talent landscape.

Can a chatbot make managers more human?

HumanIntelligence is betting on it. The company just launched Ask AURA™, an AI-powered workplace coaching assistant designed to help managers lead with more empathy, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness on demand. It’s positioned as a real-time guide for navigating feedback, conflict, motivation, and team dynamics. The twist? It's not just about AI doing the work, it’s about making humans better at theirs.

Deel faces another trade secrets accusation

Global HR tech giant Deel is back in the legal spotlight. This time, a fellow startup accuses them of trying to poach talent and proprietary info. According to the SF Standard, the rival company claims Deel used early partnership talks to gain inside access before launching a competing product. It’s the second such accusation in less than a year, raising eyebrows across the HR tech space. When the race to own global employment gets this heated, things can get messy fast.

💰 Funding and Acquisitions 🤝

Quick notes on who's buying who

  • UK-based employee engagement startup WorkBuzz just landed a £4 million follow-on investment from YFM Equity Partners.

  • Italian HR Tech startup Skillvue landed $6.3M to transform how companies find and develop untapped skills within their existing workforce.

  • Hiring platform Humanly (humanly.io) raises $7M. Congrats to Birch Faber and team!

  • WorkStep acquires WorkHound to strengthen frontline employee feedback.

  • Revelio Labs acquires Salary Board to boost global comp intelligence

  • Engagedly Inc acquires hiringtool.co to boost AI capabilities for their ATS

🗣️ Hot HR Influencer Takes

From the front lines of recruiting, tech, and transformation—here’s what the sharpest minds in HR are saying this week:

April jobs report: The market’s holding, but for how long?

Big thanks to Jodie Cherry Roth for sharing the latest insights from Recruitics on the April Jobs Report. Despite fears of a downturn, the job market remains surprisingly resilient. Hiring volume held steady, with notable strength in healthcare and tech. But don't rest easy because I see storms on the horizon! Experts are watching closely to see if the momentum can last.

👆 Worth a Click

Work/Life news beyond product announcements

Baidu Wants to Turn Animal Sounds into Words—Yes, Really

Baidu, Inc. has filed a patent to develop AI that translates animal sounds into human language. The goal? Enable better communication between humans and animals by decoding barks, meows, and other vocalizations.

Europe courts U.S. scientists as Trump policies trigger brain drain concerns

Trump has many effects on the brain—rot, derangement, and now even drain. As Trump’s second-term policies raise alarm bells across the American scientific community, the European Union is seizing the moment by actively courting U.S. researchers with funding, autonomy, and political stability. According to The New York Times concerns over climate policy, reproductive health, and academic freedom are pushing more scientists to consider packing their labs and heading abroad. Some Americans are, too.