EP19: Voice AI, Hiring Ethics, and the Future of Recruiting with Ophir Samson

Jan 29, 2026

Ophir Samson, Founder and CEO of Ezra and former PhD researcher in Applied Mathematics, built a voice AI interviewing platform after work in autonomous vehicles and enterprise tech. He discusses why resumes are failing in an AI age. He explores how voice interviews surface human insight, where AI should and should not be used in hiring, and the ethics, trust, and candidate experience issues that matter most.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Unconventional Path To Voice AI

Ophir Samson describes his unconventional path from a PhD in math to autonomous vehicles, magic, and building voice AI startups.
He built and sold a voice-based coaching product as a solo founder before founding Ezra to improve recruiting.

INSIGHT

Voice Reveals Richer Human Signals

Ophir argues voice captures far richer signals than writing because people reveal more when they speak.
He views voice as a crucial modality for personalized, human-centered AI experiences.

ANECDOTE

Magic-Like First Encounters With Tech

Ophir compares first-time autonomous vehicle and voice AI experiences to moments of wonder like magic.
He noticed users quickly normalize the tech after initial amazement if it works well.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In this episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook is joined by Ophir Samson, Founder and CEO of Ezra, to explore how voice AI is reshaping the front end of hiring and why resumes may no longer be fit for purpose in an AI-driven world. Ophir shares his unconventional journey from mathematics and autonomous vehicles to building voice-based interviewing technology, and explains why resumes have become a weak signal now that AI can generate polished applications at scale. Together, Jason and Ophir unpack how voice AI can surface richer, more human insight earlier in the hiring process without replacing recruiters or removing human judgment. The conversation dives into ethics, candidate experience, bias, trust, and why the future of recruiting isn’t about automation for efficiency alone, but about freeing humans to focus on the work they should be doing. This episode offers a grounded, thoughtful look at where AI belongs in hiring and where it absolutely doesn’t.

Highlights:

Why resumes are breaking down as a hiring signal in the AI era
How voice interviews reveal insight that written applications cannot
The difference between what recruiters can do and what they should do
Why Ezra isn’t competing with recruiters—but with resume screening
How candidates adapt quickly to voice AI when expectations are set clearly
Where AI interviewing works best—and where it doesn’t belong (yet)
Why trust, transparency, and ethics matter more than speed in hiring tech
The “surface area of disappointment” problem in voice AI design
What entrepreneurs should focus on now that building software is easier than ever

Guest:

Ophir Samson is the Founder and CEO of Ezra, a voice AI interviewing platform designed to help recruiters identify high-quality candidates beyond resumes. He brings deep experience across voice AI, autonomous driving, and enterprise technology, with previous roles at Aurora, Uber, and General Motors. Ophir holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics, was a researcher at MIT, and earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Follow Jason Averbook:

Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook

Follow Ophir Samson:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ophirsamson/

(0:00) Introduction (0:36) Ophir's journey from math to voice AI entrepreneurship (2:47) The role of hiring in quality of life and the magic in Ophir's life (5:51) Transition to entrepreneurship and building voice AI prototypes (8:12) Autonomous vehicles' connection to voice AI and its human component (14:04) AI and human roles in recruitment and the future of resumes (18:19) Overcoming challenges in HR innovation and AI-human collaboration (24:09) Candidate perspectives on AI interviews and their appropriateness (29:01) Comparing AI and human capabilities in resume screening (31:56) Analyzing AI's strengths, limitations, and societal impacts (37:10) Ethical AI development and entrepreneurship (42:22) Closing thoughts