The Chad & Cheese Podcast

Guilty Pleas, Autopilots and Iced Lattes: RecFest USA Live 25.09.2026 44min

What do a big couch, a can of Stella, and four of the biggest personalities in recruitment have in common? They’re all live from RecFest this week, covering the hottest topics in the world of hiring. Chad, Joel, Mo’, and J.T. are on hand to talk about everything from an HR tech founder facing up to 20 years behind bars to the great iced-latte-in-job-interviews debate sweeping the land. First up, the crew covers all things RecFest USA live from the Shaker Recruitment Marketing booth, each offering a unique take on the world’s hottest recruitment conference. You may have heard about the recent controversy over an iced latte that made its way into an interview—and then drew criticism from a practitioner. Yeah, that gets covered. Then it’s news time. The team discusses the recent guilty plea by the former CEO and founder of Joonko, who is looking at as much as 20 years in prison after allegedly ripping off investors to the tune of $27 million. Next, the gang turns to Harver’s acquisition of Symphony Talent, a move destined to rattle recruitment ad agencies for years to come. Does the future favor the agency? The group weighs in. Then comes a Chad & Cheese first: a representative from Findem makes a sponsored announcement about the company’s latest product drop, Findem Studio. To wrap things up, the crew looks at ZoomInfo’s newly launched Talent Autopilot, a sourcing tool the company hopes will shake up the industry by tapping a dataset it calls second to none.It’s a fun wrap-up from Nashville at the end of RecFest’s first big day. Now pass the hot chicken.

Shredded: DailyPay, Workday, Meta, Recruitics, ZoomInfo, Fuel50, Linkedin, & More 24.09.2026 4min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

Candidate Fraud Stops Here with Etan Bernstein 22.09.2026 35min

Is the resume dying — or is it just lying and on life support while AI agents pump out 11,000 fake-looking apps a minute. On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad sit down with Etan Bernstein of the Velocity Network Foundation, an HR lifer who wants to stop the whack-a-mole and put a chip in the talent system the way banks killed mag-stripe fraud. Self-reported CVs, ghost jobs, North Korean bots, and vendors who get paid for the chaos all get roasted. Etan’s pitch: one open protocol, worker-owned credentials, and trust at the source instead of another detector. If you’re still screening slop with more slop, this one’s going to sting. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to the industry's trust issues 02:23 - The shift from traditional resumes to AI-generated profiles 04:11 - The impact of AI on fraud and exaggeration in resumes 06:10 - The problem with fragmented HR data systems 08:33 - Building trust through verifiable data 10:48 - The economic impact of chaos in HR tech 15:36 - The flood of resumes and legal compliance challenges 19:38 - The vision of an open, shared protocol for HR data 21:27 - The role of LinkedIn and other platforms in verification 24:24 - The digital footprint and future of verification

Meta Employee Meltdown : LinkedIn Goes Loco : 32-Hour Work Week Law? 18.09.2026 1t 9min

This week on Chad and Cheese, Joel and JT unpack four stories that actually matter if you hire, manage, or look for work. Buckle-up buttercup! Meta just reversed two of its most controversial internal bets: pushing individual contributors back into middle-management seats after the layoffs, and pausing a monitoring program employees believed was training their AI replacements. The hosts dig into what the internal data showed, why “no managers, full surveillance” keeps failing at scale, and what it does to a brand that used to be a résumé flex. Then they hit a Business Insider piece on “LinkedIn lunatics”—the people who post like their career depends on it. JT is in the article. They talk about why the platform now rewards proof of knowledge over old job titles, why companies that police employee posting may have a bigger problem than they think, and where LinkedIn’s real money might be heading next. Who’d You Rather pits two freshly funded plays against each other: Jack and Jill, a conversational-AI recruiter that just raised $40 million, versus Boomerang HR, an alumni-network platform that raised $12.7 million. One host goes big and conversational. The other bets the niche player survives the giants. They close on Bernie Sanders and Mark Takano’s bill to phase the work week from 40 hours to 32 with no pay cut. JT has already run a shorter week. Joel likes the theory and questions whether Slack and after-hours email would let anyone actually unplug. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and episode overview 04:03 - AI's real threats and opportunities 07:58 - The political landscape of AI regulation 10:08 - The future of AI agents and their impact 12:05 - The evolution of social media and LinkedIn 13:56 - The concept of LinkedIn as a platform for validation 16:10 - The changing nature of employee branding and social media 18:00 - Controversial advertising and brand strategy 20:01 - Upcoming events and travel plans 21:54 - Fantasy football league update 24:03 - Meta's internal policy reversals and lessons 25:57 - The future of work and AI in HR 28:10 - The importance of human oversight in AI systems 29:56 - The potential of AI to monetize individual expertise 31:58 - Who'd you rather? Company comparisons 33:59 - Historical lessons on technology and automation 36:09 - The importance of employee activity on social media 37:58 - The role of AI in recruitment and job seeking 39:55 - The shift from corporate control to individual branding 42:00 - The untapped potential of employee advocacy 43:55 - Legal and ethical considerations in AI and surveillance 46:03 - The coming digital renaissance and new monetization models 48:01 - Predictions for the future of AI and work 50:05 - The impact of new legislation on work hours 52:12 - The benefits of a shorter workweek and flexible work policies 54:03 - The cultural shift towards work-life balance 56:06 - The importance of boundaries and boundaries management 58:03 - Humor and light-hearted moments in the discussion 59:56 - Close

Shredded: Intermezzo, Meta, Oracle, LinkedIn, BoomerangHR, Glassdoor, Workday, & More 17.09.2026 5min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

How AI is Reshaping the Workplace with Paul Roetzer 15.09.2026 39min

SmarterX founder and CEO Paul Roetzer joins the boys for a chat about how AI is reshaping the workforce in ways most don't suspect. Paul sold his marketing agency in 2021 as AI was already writing at near-human level—then ChatGPT showed up and things went into hyperdrive. Bentley and Gallup’s 2026 numbers say most Americans, especially young ones, don’t trust companies that use AI, while Microsoft, Google, and every CRM already do. Paul talks human-centered adoption, Jobs GPT, Copilot/Gemini/Claude stall-outs, why IT shouldn’t own this, and what IBM, Deloitte, and McKinsey actually sell. He walks through his Co-CEO GPT, a nine-month Anthropic/Claude build, HubSpot Breeze, Monday data agents, “human in the loop” versus a phrase he coins live, the 100-person split that becomes an HR problem, recruiting through a flood of AI applications, liberal-arts hires, and what he tells parents when asked about AI and entry level jobs.

Jobs Utopia or Fiasco? 11.09.2026 1t 5min

Joel, Chad , and Emi break down the intersection of AI recruitment technology, global labor markets, and industry regulation, alongside pop culture banter and sports highlights. Key Topics Covered:Pop Culture & Fantasy Football: Reactions to Steve Ballmer's retro Microsoft commercials and NBA ban, US Open tennis highlights, and fantasy football draft grades. HR Tech & Startups: Spotlights on Sonic Jobs' LLM integrations, Hackajob's Archer agent rebranding following a 3x ARR increase, and previews of global HR events. The H-1B & Union Debate: A look at how H-1B visa restrictions drive different hiring behaviors. Jobs Report Reality Check: An analysis of August's 162,000 job additions, against structural economic shifts, immigration, and tariff impacts. AI Compliance & Job Board Evolution: The European crackdown on fully automated management illustrated by Uber's €825 million Dutch fine, and what the closure of Guardian Jobs signals for traditional recruitment advertising.

Shredded: Factorial, Empion, Werkhelden, JobBooster, Guardian Jobs, Jobbio, Amply, & More 10.09.2026 4min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

Real Girls, Real AI & Real Talk with Lauren B. Jones 08.09.2026 30min

On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad welcome Lauren B. Jones—founder and CEO of Leap Advisory Partners and author of Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI—fresh off the farm in Northern California where the roosters clock in at 4:30 a.m. With nearly 30 years in staffing and recruiting under her belt, Lauren cuts through the AI hype with a no-BS reality check: most companies claim they’re using AI, but only a fraction are seeing real ROI because they’re chasing shiny tools instead of solving actual problems. She breaks down why leaders still need to get the basics right, how to stop the “slop,” and why policy, education, and enablement—in that order—matter more than ever. Plus, they dig into why women approach AI differently, what parents should be teaching their kids, and why treating AI like Google is a fast track to garbage output. It’s practical, a little snarky, and exactly the kind of conversation HR’s Most Dangerous Podcast was made for. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Lauren B. Jones and episode overview 02:01 - The current state of AI adoption in staffing and recruiting 04:09 - How leaders can start educating themselves about AI capabilities 06:10 - Framework for organizations: eliminate, automate, AI 07:53 - Using surveys to identify automation opportunities 10:13 - The importance of policy, education, and enablement in AI adoption 11:59 - Global policy landscape and the need for regulation 14:08 - The evolution of AI tools like Jasper and ChatGPT 16:04 - Research findings on women and AI in the workplace 17:54 - The motivation behind writing 'Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI' 20:10 - Overcoming overthinking and confusion in AI adoption 22:10 - Advice for parents and children on AI safety and skills 24:02 - The impact of social media and AI on society 26:00 - The role of quality input and human oversight in AI outputs 27:57 - Connecting with Lauren B. Jones and final thoughts

HiBob Beast Mode & DOL Dismantles Worker Protections 04.09.2026 59min

The latest episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast delivers a hard-hitting breakdown of massive developments across technology, enterprise software, and corporate compliance. The boys tackle Salesforce leading a massive $166 million investment round into HR tech provider HiBob, exploring how this ties into broader ecosystems involving competitors like Deel, Rippling, SAP, SmartRecruiters, Workday, Paradox, Greenhouse, and iCIMS. They also break down a controversial promotional stunt by startup Lemon Lime at an unofficial Y Combinator afterparty, where attendees were offered fast-track job interviews in exchange for getting company tattoos. The conversation then shifts to the future of labor, dissecting Bill Gates’ latest decade-long predictions regarding AI automation and workforce displacement. Finally, the co-hosts investigate a major regulatory shakeup from the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). They explore the rollbacks of critical affirmative action hiring mandates for federal contractors, alongside a projected budget proposal that could defund the watchdog agency and transfer its remaining functions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and main themes 01:58 - Discussion on AI's disruptive potential in the workforce 03:59 - Recent funding and valuation of HR platforms like Hi Bob 08:04 - Policy changes impacting diversity and veteran hiring 11:57 - Humorous stories about personal experiences and industry events 19:55 - The resurgence of SaaS companies and their strategic moves 28:00 - Bill Gates' warnings on AI and workforce disruption 34:02 - The societal impact of AI and economic considerations 45:02 - The trend of using jobs for marketing and employer branding 55:02 - Humorous anecdotes about tattoos and job interviews

Shredded: Workday, Yardstik, Accenture, McCoy, Comware, Recruiter.com, HiBob, & More 03.09.2026 4min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

Slop, Supply & the Search Process: Ben Zweig Breaks Down the Data 01.09.2026 36min

Slop, Supply & the Search Process On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad sit down with Ben Zweig, CEO of Revelio Labs, economist, NYU Stern professor, and recovering quant who’s somehow raising three little girls while tracking the entire labor market. Ben walks them through Revelio’s new AI Labor Market Tracker—the data-driven, non-speculative look at how AI is actually reshaping work right now. They dig into the 28% drop in computer science majors, why companies that successfully adopt AI are growing headcount instead of cutting it, the massive friction AI is creating in the hiring process, and why 93% of the real change is happening inside jobs rather than between them. It’s economist brain meets HR reality, with just enough New York attitude and sleep-deprived honesty to keep it dangerous.

Recruit Holdings' "Alleged" Cartel 28.08.2026 51min

This week on The Chad and Cheese Podcast (dubbed HR’s most dangerous podcast), hosts Chad Sowash, JT O’Donnell, and Maureen "Mo" Wiley Clough break down the latest corporate absurdities, dystopian AI trends, and labor market nonsense. Episode Highlights: No Trust for AI: Humanoid Robots, digital AI twins and Amazon's last-mile automation. Corporate AI Disasters: Amazon's tokenmaxxing problems. Japan’s Big Staffing Cartel Raid: Recruits, Adecco, Manpower, and others are under investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission for alleged price-fixing. The Death of Tip Culture: A look at US restaurants ditching traditional tipping. Dolly Parton vs. Dark Trends: The gang pays respect to the late, great Dolly Parton. In stark contrast to her generosity, the hosts call out "bro-brand" Good Good Golf and Callaway over an appalling, tone-deaf advertisement featuring a founder pushing a woman to the ground.

Shredded: Twin1, Runlayer, Rippling, Gatik, Microsoft, Flip, Deel, & More 27.08.2026 5min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

SignalLabs + BrassRing = Signals of Attention 25.08.2026 35min

On this installment of "HR's Most Dangerous Podcast," Chad Sowash and Joel Cheeseman grill Raj Ronanki, CEO of Signal Labs, on one of the weirdest M&A moves the HR tech space has seen in years. Guided by a childhood obsession with Star Trek, Raj has raised millions to build "systems of attention"—and then immediately used it to buy Brass Ring, an applicant tracking system older than half the engineers currently building LLMs. In a chaotic blend of 1980s comedy references, sci-fi philosophy, and corporate jargon, the boys attempt to figure out if Raj is an AI visionary or if he just bought a ghost ship because 65% of the Fortune 500 forgot to cancel their subscription. Key Highlights & Hot Takes: Spock, Utopia, and Green Aliens The "Nunya Business" Acquisition HR's Forgotten Invoices Interviewing Bots for Jobs Making Compliance Cool Again Tune in for the full episode as Chad and Joel try to decipher whether Signal Labs is building the future of work or just running a very expensive 1999 nostalgia trip!

Walmart Slumps, Workday Jumps & Indeed Marketing Chumps 21.08.2026 1t 3min

Live from a Portuguese bar annex, Chad and Joel crack open a cold cider and fire up "HR's Most Dangerous Podcast" to roast the absolute state of modern recruiting. Before tackling the tech industry's worst ideas, the boys review hostage-style movie clips, swap obscure band recommendations, and pitch a Spaceballs 2 sponsorship. The SaaS-pocalypse Comes for Workday: Private equity behemoth Silver Lake is eyeing a $51B buyout of Workday. Google's Resume Garbage Can: Leaked documents show Google DeepMind's AI screening tool is rejecting qualified applicants at random, forcing frustrated hiring managers to set up illegal human-only shortcuts around their own TA department. Gen Z's AI Penalty: Stanford research shows a 19% drop in entry-level hiring for AI-exposed roles. Babysitting the Machine at Walmart: Store associates are now tasked with cleaning up after Walmart's AI. Indeed's Desperate Marketing Pivot: Indeed's CMO claims targeting passive job seekers at soccer matches is a "revolutionary" new strategy. Really? Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Episode Overview 03:45 - Review of the Odyssey and movie expectations 07:43 - Changes in media consumption and radio 09:54 - New music discoveries and bands 11:21 - Music show segment and shout outs 12:26 - TA20 awards and AI professionals recognition 13:25 - Upcoming events and travel plans 20:32 - Private equity buyout talks with Workday 21:50 - Implications of PE acquisition on Workday's culture and support 23:13 - The SAS apocalypse and AI's impact on SaaS companies 24:37 - Market valuation and PE acquisitions of software companies 28:38 - Google resume dumping and AI in HR 29:06 - Challenges of AI in recruitment and hiring processes 31:15 - The puppy analogy and AI's limitations 32:13 - The importance of human skills and adaptability 37:24 - AI's impact on youth employment and highly exposed occupations 40:00 - The need for experienced workers to train AI 41:32 - Future workforce and the importance of human skills 44:34 - Adapting to AI and the importance of continuous learning 46:35 - Walmart's AI implementation and employee trust issues 49:45 - The role of human nuance in AI and workplace tasks 52:57 - The importance of understanding complex tasks in AI deployment 54:29 - Indeed's new marketing strategy and market position 55:33 - Critique of Indeed's marketing and tech evolution 57:29 - Spaceballs 2 and industry humor 58:07 - Google and Indeed traffic decline signals 59:22 - The shift to old school marketing and candidate engagement 01:00:21 - The future of job search and AI-driven applications 01:01:18 - Humor and lighthearted closing remarks

Shredded: Workday, Aerotek, PAC Group, Monster, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Indeed & More 20.08.2026 4min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

When AI Needs Humans with Sonja Breuer 18.08.2026 40min

In this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, hosts Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman sit down with Sonja Breuer, Senior Vice President of HR at Hamra Enterprises a powerhouse franchise group operating over 200 locations across Wendy’s, Panera Bread, and Noodles & Company.💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The “Easy Button” for Hiring: How custom AI bots (including a talking Frosty named Sam) drastically reduced candidate ghosting and eliminated scheduling headaches for restaurant managers. Slashing the Ad Budget: The secret behind leveraging evergreen ads and conversational tech to keep job board spending at a fraction of the budget. Daily Pay as a Game Changer: Why instant access to wages has become Hamra’s secret weapon for recruitment (and how it saved one employee's prom night!). Tech Meets Culture: Why Sonja—a self-proclaimed Gen X “human connection” person—believes automation doesn't replace empathy, but actually gives leaders the time to be more human. What’s Next for AI in HR: A sneak peek at how Hamra is using AI for company-wide internal communication and video-driven recruitment.

ZipRecruiter Financial Gymnastics 14.08.2026 59min

Get ready for a jam-packed episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast as hosts Joel Cheesman, Chad Sowash, and Emi B serve up their trademark mix of industry news, corporate earnings, and unfiltered banter. The episode kicks off with personal updates and shout-outs, covering everything from Chad’s slippery "Charlie Brown" beach wipeout in Portugal to a Harvard report on workplace outcomes, the rise of late-night interviews for night owls. As the episode shifts into corporate strategy, the hosts put the latest financial filings and major market moves under the microscope. You will hear them break down the Q2 earnings, cost-cutting strategies, and future outlooks for ZipRecruiter, Recruit Holdings, and Indeed. The team then brings back their signature "Buy or Sell" segment to grade recent consolidation in the space, evaluating MetaView’s acquisition of Reval (and its autonomous coworker "fillmore"), CareerMinds picking up Jobrapido, and the big transition of a long-time leader at LinkUp. Finally, the episode tackles the serious side of hiring tech with a look at global regulatory compliance and vendor transparency involving Maki People, Mochi AI Assessments and Recruitics, before winding down with a nostalgic debate over the unexpected relaunch of MySpace. To find out who gets a "Buy," who gets a "Sell," and exactly why the hosts are skeptical of the latest AI trends, you will have to tune in to the full episode.

Shredded: ZipRecruiter, Recruit Holdings, Upwork, Dice, Spark Hire, Careerminds, & Jobrapido 13.08.2026 5min

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.