The BARF cover art

The BARF

The BARF

Written by: WRKdefined
Listen for free

About this listen

 Breaking news, Acquisitions, Research, and Funding is The BARF. A look back into last week’s most talked about news in the world of work, what’s happened, what does it mean, and why should you care. Analysis that you can understand without a Ph.D. Proudly brought to you by WRKdefined with hosts William Tincup and Ryan Leary.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Candidate Feedback Report '26 | Amazon Launches AI Hiring Platform | UKG Cuts 950 Jobs | Rippling Hits $16.8B

    Candidate Feedback Report '26 | Amazon Launches AI Hiring Platform | UKG Cuts 950 Jobs | Rippling Hits $16.8B
    May 13 2026
    The hiring stack is breaking in real time. Amazon, Greenhouse, UKG. Everybody’s rebuilding recruiting while candidates and AI bots flood the system. Recruiting used to be messy. Now it’s machine vs machine. Recruiters are drowning in applications, candidates want everything on demand, and the old workflows are getting exposed hard. 412%... That’s how much applications per recruiter have exploded since 2023. AI-generated resumes are flooding the funnel, companies are cutting headcount, and recruiting teams are trying to keep up with duct tape workflows. In this episode, we rip through layoffs, AI interviewing, candidate experience, recruiting tech, Amazon Connect Talent, Greenhouse, and why hiring is turning into AI versus AI. In this episode…You’ll hear why UKG’s 950-person layoff isn’t really about AI, how Amazon might finally crack recruiting at scale, why Greenhouse bought voice-first interviewing tech, and why candidates now expect hiring to work like Netflix, Uber, and Amazon. Fast. Mobile. On demand. Key Takeaways : UKG cut 950 jobs in its latest restructuring round The Kronos + Ultimate merger created a $3B company with 80,000+ customers Applications per recruiter jumped 412% since 2023 AI-generated resumes are flooding recruiting funnels at insane scale Greenhouse acquired Ezra AI Labs for voice-first interviewing Amazon’s “Connect Talent” could turn Prime users into recruiting data gold Candidates increasingly expect interviews on their own schedule Recruiters are now using AI to fight AI-generated candidate spam IKEA once hid job ads inside furniture instruction manuals in Australia Companies are gaming job boards by labeling office jobs as “remote” GoDaddy makes canceling domains feel like an endurance sport Candidate experience is becoming the real competitive advantage Sign up and stand a chance to win freebies : https://wrkdefined.com/canditech Connect with Us : William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/ Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/ WRKdefined : Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • The BARF | AI Isn’t Replacing Recruiters. It’s Exposing Bad Hiring.

    The BARF | AI Isn’t Replacing Recruiters. It’s Exposing Bad Hiring.
    May 8 2026
    Everyone wants AI in HR. Almost nobody knows what “good” looks like yet. From opportunity cost to fake productivity, Ryan Leary and William Tincup unpack why AI adoption in recruiting is moving faster than leadership can measure it. A bad hire costs money. An empty seat costs more. That’s the part most companies still miss. We go straight at the real problem: AI, recruiting, HR tech, productivity, and leadership teams chasing efficiency without knowing what they’re actually optimizing for. In this episode… We break down the hidden cost of unfilled roles, why AI adoption metrics are mostly nonsense right now, and how recruiting teams are getting buried under tool fatigue. Key Takeaways : One company reportedly lost $4M a month in bookings because they couldn’t hire enough Java developers fast enough Most leaders still measure recruiting by activity, not business impact AI adoption means nothing if quality drops A team converting 50% of outreach into calls is still failing if only 3% are quality conversations HR teams may need to rethink their AI stack every 90 days “Bring your own AI” is already happening whether companies allow it or not Opportunity cost in hiring is still massively underrated Productivity theater is becoming the new corporate disease SaaS updates used to happen yearly. AI changes weekly Leadership wants AI speed. Practitioners still need accuracy and trust Recruiting teams are drowning in tools while still being asked to do more with less Bad actors exist. Technology doesn’t magically remove human behavior Connect with Us : William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/ Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/ WRKdefined : Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Workplace Loneliness Is Killing Productivity. Job Security Is the New Ambition. AI Is Rewriting the Rules.

    Workplace Loneliness Is Killing Productivity. Job Security Is the New Ambition. AI Is Rewriting the Rules.
    Feb 24 2026
    Employee engagement is wobbling. Loneliness is up. Job security now beats title chasing. And AI plus robotics are quietly reshaping talent management whether we like it or not. This one hits workplace reality from every angle - retention, discretionary effort, grooming habits, and the human side of work that rarely makes it into the board deck. In this episode, Ryan and William unpack how loneliness is dragging down productivity, why employees are clinging to stability over ambition, and what that means for retention strategies in an AI-driven world. They challenge outdated talent practices like hoarding high performers and dig into how robotics in manufacturing is forcing leaders to rethink workforce design. ⁠This episode is sponsored by FAMA⁠. ⁠Fama helps employers make safer,⁠ smarter hiring decisions by using AI to screen public online content and identify risk and fit before day one. Key Takeaways: Loneliness isn’t some soft HR buzzword. Cigna calls it a hidden cost, and they’re right. When people feel disconnected, they don’t quit. They just stop trying. Discretionary effort disappears. That’s not a feelings problem. That’s a performance problem. Monster’s 2026 report basically says what most of us already feel. People aren’t chasing shiny titles right now. They’re chasing stability. After years of layoffs and whiplash, job security is the new flex. You want retention? Make people feel safe. McDonald’s had that internal no-poach setup across franchises. You couldn’t just move stores even if it was better for you. That’s talent hoarding in a uniform. Managers do the same thing every day. If someone’s good, reward them and move them up. Don’t cage them. Boston Dynamics and Hyundai aren’t playing around. These humanoid robots are being trained with VR and motion capture, powered by Nvidia chips, to lift, move, and handle heavy manufacturing work. Humans don’t vanish. They shift. You train the machine. You manage the machine. You fix the machine. That’s the new layer of work. HR Dive nailed it. Companies say they’re hiring, but only if everything lines up perfectly. CFOs are squeezing. Hiring managers want unicorns. HR is stuck holding half-approved reqs. That’s not a talent shortage. That’s a confidence problem dressed up in better PR. Chapters 00:00 Kicking ish off 03:02 Hair Care and Personal Grooming 06:02 Employment Practices and Talent Hoarding 08:58 Loneliness in the Workplace 12:04 Employee Engagement and Productivity 17:48 Job Security and Employee Retention 28:59 AI and Robotics in Manufacturing 36:00 Conclusion and Future Considerations Connect with Us William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/ Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/ Connect with WRKdefined on your favorite social network Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet