Can AI Make Recruiting More Human? Kristen Habacht (Elly) on the Hiring Arms Race

Recruiting is in an arms race: job seekers spray AI at every open role; recruiters crank filters to keep up. Nobody wins. 

⚡ Kristen Habacht—CEO of Elly and former head of revenue at Trello (then Atlassian) and CRO at Typeform—thinks the fix isn’t more filters. It’s tech that actually learns, so recruiters can do the human work.

Wade and Kristen talk about why most ATSs are “filing cabinets,” what “ICP for hiring” would look like, and why Elly never says yes or no to a candidate—only “did you see this? Is it important?” They cover the 1,000-applicants-in-24-hours reality, PLG in talent/HR, bias and AI screening, her take on AI “cheating” in interviews (“who really cares? It shows they know how to use the tool”), and why she’s giving away a lot of free usage instead of buying a billboard. Plus the story of the day she found out Trello was being acquired by Atlassian—and shoved her co-founder thinking he was joking.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

- 🎯 Why recruiting is broken for both sides and how the current arms race got here.

- 📋 What’s wrong with today’s ATSs and why “ICP for hiring” could change the game.

- 👥 How Elly keeps humans in the loop—and why the AI never decides anyone in or out.

- 🔍 Why keyword search fails hiring (and what Trello’s early PLG hiring had to do with it).

- 🤖 Whether AI in interviews is “cheating,” proctored interviews, and what might actually stick.

- 🔗 Why TA and HR still don’t talk—and why that has to change.

- 🌐 What a “universal job application” could look like—and where Elly is putting its $8M.

Guest: Kristen Habacht — CEO, Elly.