The Chad & Cheese Podcast

In this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, hosts Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman—HR tech's dynamic duo of snark and smarts—serve up a buffet of industry drama with their trademark banter that'll have you chuckling harder than a recruiter dodging ghosting complaints. They start by painting a gloomy economic picture, complete with workforce imbalances that feel like a bad Tinder match, plus a heartfelt nod to breastfeeding support at work (because who doesn't love a good "pumping up the team" pun?). Things get real with layoff laments, treating employees like yesterday's LinkedIn spam. Shout-outs go personal with fantasy football eulogies (RIP to those dream teams) and event plugs, alongside travel tips for jet-setting talent hunters—pro tip: pack extra patience for airport security feels. The meaty bits? SAP snapping up SmartRecruiters like it's Black Friday shopping for ATS upgrades, pondering if AI recruiting will finally make hiring less of a dumpster fire, and how it'll mesh (or clash) with SuccessFactors. Earnings chit-chat skewers Indeed and LinkedIn's numbers, roasting Indeed's Branded Boost as a "blast from the past" that's more regression than revolution. Wrapping up, they dissect the Workday lawsuit's AI bias bombshell—because nothing says "fun" like robots playing favorites—and the eerie rise of virtual hotel check-ins, where your front desk clerk might be outsourcing from halfway around the world. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and Mood Setting 02:27 - Economic Concerns and Workforce Imbalances 05:23 - Breastfeeding Support in the Workplace 08:15 - Employee Treatment and Layoffs 11:13 - Fantasy Football and Personal Tributes 14:00 - Upcoming Events and Travel Info 16:59 - SmartRecruiters Acquisition by SAP 18:26 - Future of ATS and AI in Recruitment 24:16 - The Future of Success Factors and Smart Recruiters 28:51 - Earnings Season Insights: Indeed and LinkedIn 36:23 - Indeed's New Branded Boost: A Step Backward? 42:03 - Legal Implications of AI in Hiring: The Workday Case 46:33 - The Rise of Virtual Check-Ins in Hospitality

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.

In this episode, the boys chat with Jeff Pole, the big brain behind Warden AI, for a no-holds-barred chat about AI bias in talent acquisition. They sliced and diced a juicy report comparing AI’s quirks to good ol’ human prejudice, serving up some spicy legal takes on what happens when robots play HR. The trio threw shade at sloppy AI systems, stressing that vendors and employers better team up like superheroes to keep things fair and square—or risk a legal smackdown. They also peeked into the crystal ball for AI’s hiring glow-up, while side-eyeing the political circus messing with AI rules and preaching the gospel of audits that go beyond just checking boxes for sex and race.  Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to AI in Talent Acquisition 02:34 - Understanding AI Bias in Recruitment 05:29 - Comparing AI and Human Bias 08:28 - Legal Implications of AI in Hiring 11:24 - Vendor Responsibility and Compliance - Mobley v. Workday 14:17 - The Future of AI in Talent Acquisition 17:09 - Political Influences on AI Regulations 20:19 - Diversity and Inclusion in AI Audits 23:13 - Predictions for AI and Bias in the Workplace

On this week’s show: 🔌 Bold yanks the plug on Monster’s Euro-zone job boards faster than you can say “thoughtful transition.” Spoiler: if you had job credits, they’re as good as Monopoly money now. 🤡 Jamie & Doug send a painfully boring email instead of showing their faces. JT’s advice? Ditch the letter, pick up a camera, and maybe lose the flannel. 🔥 Job.com update – Turns out “we’re a tech company” means screwing over employees. 💰 Anthropic’s valuation hits $170B by cozying up to Gulf sovereign funds. Nothing says ethical AI like cash from authoritarian regimes! 🧓 ServiceNow’s CEO transforms into Uncle Baby Billy, declaring robots better than humans because they don’t need lunch. Late-stage capitalism, y’all. 🫢 Astronomer pulls a Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal and somehow turns it into a Gwyneth Paltrow-powered PR win. 👉 Listen now before all your favorite jobs get replaced by agents who don’t need to piss in garbage cans. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 06:05 Celebrating the Lionesses' Victory 08:09 Workforce Landscape 14:51 Bold and Job Market Dynamics 25:45 The Challenges of Job.com and Employee Rights 32:26 The Rise of AI 46:41 Lessons from Astronomer

Live from UNLEASH America 2025, we’re serving up serious talent strategy with Meghan Rhatigan, VP of Talent Acquisition Experience at Marriott—and spoiler alert: job boards are dying, chatbots are rising, and recruitment will never be the same. Inside this episode: 🤖 The rise (and limits) of chatbots 🔍 Why some candidates still prefer search over automation 📉 The slow death of job boards—and what comes next 🌎 How politics and immigration are reshaping DEI 🏃‍♀️ Speed vs. fit: are we hiring fast or hiring right? Meghan brings 15 years of Marriott transformation to the table—tech, transparency, and a big ol’ dose of reality. From authentic brand engagement to building a global, inclusive talent pool, this one’s packed with frontline insights HR pros and tech nerds alike will want to hear. 🎧 Tune in or risk clinging to your outdated ATS and broken career page like it’s 2015. 00:00 - In this Episode 0:27 - Meghan's Elevator Pitch 2:50 - Tech Transformation at Marriott 4:00 - What Has Changed in 15 Year Period in HR 5:55 - What Learnings Meghan Has Got in the Last 5 Years in Terms of Technology 8:56 - Chatbot vs. Search: Understanding User Preferences 10:46 - Difference Between the Application Process 12:10 - Rethinking Spend: The Decline of Job Boards 19:03 - What Marriott Does Organically to Drive Traffic and Brand Awareness 20:30 - Importance of Transparency 25:12 - What Some Political Topics Impact Marriott 27:08 - Future of Recruiting 30:57 - Speed vs. Fit in Hiring 33:08 - Products Meghan Wish Existed Today

In this episode, hosts start off with, what else, soccer snark, discussing Chelsea's Trump drama, then a little Tour de France trash-talk. Chad roasts Monster Europe's collapse, blasting Randstad and Apollo as "corporate cowards" ditching workers like bad dates. They dissect HelloWork's lawsuit against Indeed for yanking ATS feeds—Chad calls it a data domination plot, Joel bets on French PR patriotism trumping legal odds. "Buy or Sell" gets savage: MetaView's €30M note-taker? Chad and Lieven sell (no moat, just meh), Joel buys for human touch. Traxlo's €1.6M gig app? Joel and Lieven buy for retail grunt work, Chad sells (automation apocalypse incoming). Ordio's €12M deskless payroll? Joel and Lieven buy, Chad sells (pricing poultry—er, paltry). EQT X snags Adevinta's Spanish ops, InfoJobs included? PE panic—Chad and Joel scream "abandon ship!" And Paris-based Teleperformance gobbles up Agents Only, a Vancouver-based staffing company specializing in online workers for AI data annotation and customer service, which is a fancy way of saying "workers who check expiration dates on milk."

On this week's episode, Moe comes out hot and spills on "Coldplay-Gate," that viral kiss-cam fiasco where a couple (turns out, cheating execs from Astronomer) bolted like they saw a ghost. It's not just gossip—it's schadenfreude gold, highlighting how the C-suite plays by different rules. Joel highlights ZipRececruiter's most recent marketing strategy: Embracing old school linear TV by sponsoring a new show on Fox. Chad rants about the new $250 "integrity fee" for US tourist visas—because nothing says "welcome" like a cash grab that could tank tourism before the 2026 World Cup. Ashby news brings the fire, snagging a whopping $50M Series D, doubling customers (now 2,700+ like OpenAI and Shopify), boosting revenue 135%, and barely dipping into last year's Series C. Why more cash? To evolve "at the speed of AI," building all-in-one recruiting magic—sourcing, scheduling, analytics—that users call "beautiful software." No more tool sprawl; it's the startup darling dethroning clunky vets like Greenhouse. Chad's verdict: Finally, an ATS nobody bitches about—refreshing in a moan-fest industry! Then, drama alert: Bold snatches Monster and CareerBuilder assets for $28.4M in a bankruptcy auction (up from a start of $7M). Great domains, SEO juice ... but Bold's predatory paywalls (mandatory sign-ups, fees for full job deets) scream "job seeker trap." Chad's not thrilled—hopes they don't prey harder with that Monster muscle. Randstad? Total villains. They boast $5.8B revenue and 3% EBITDA margins, but screw Monster employees worldwide. Days before mass layoffs, they gutted severance: From 1.5 weeks/year (up to 16) to a flat two weeks. Imagine losing $28K if you're a 20-year vet! In France, it's worse—brutal shutdowns, no support, leaving taxpayers footing unemployment bills. Vendors? Stiffed millions after Monster ran up tabs they knew were doomed. Chad's furious: "Corporate welfare at its finest." Until CEOs like don orange jumpsuits, the little guys get proper f***ed. AI corner: Perplexity's CEO says says recruiter jobs are soon to be a thing of the past, and Salesforce's Mark Benioff probably agrees, as his company is doing up to 50% or more with less. Moe's skeptical: "Hype to sell shares!" Chad sees task automation (bye, scheduling drudgery) but demands AI taxes and UBI pronto. Jobs evolve, but painful contractions ahead? We'll be watching. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and Welcome Back 02:21 - Maureen's Disney Cruise Experience 04:04 - Tribute to Matt Lavery 07:09 - Coldplay Gate: The Viral Incident 08:52 - Integrity Fees for Tourists 10:19 - Ashby: A Positive ATS Experience 12:41 - Bold's Acquisition and Job Seeker Concerns 15:59 - Ronstadt's Treatment of Employees 18:29 - The Impact on Vendors and Corporate Accountability 23:23 - Future of Recruitment and AI Integration 32:14 - Closing Thoughts and Dad Jokes

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.

Steve Bartel, CEO of Gem, and Alla Mezhvinsky, VP at Glean, share insights from UNLEASH America. They discuss the chaotic impact of AI in recruiting, tackling issues like resume spam and deepfake candidates. The duo emphasizes the necessity for transparency in hiring and rethinking traditional job descriptions. With limited budgets, they highlight the importance of integrating tech stacks wisely. Steve shares a quirky story about acquiring the Gem.com domain, while they both advocate for data-driven decisions free from the hype, aiming to reshape the candidate experience.

In this episode, Chad and Cheese return from RecFest with sunburns, stories, and just enough energy to unpack a week full of WTFs. They kick things off with a heartfelt tribute to their late friend Matt Lavery, proof that even these two have a soft side under the sarcasm. But don’t get too comfortable, there’s plenty of industry drama to dig into. Job.com filed for bankruptcy (shocking no one), Indeed is back on its layoff tour, and Paradox is dealing with a data breach. Chris Foreman resurfaces at TotalJobs, and the big question looming over the industry: Will JobGet get the Monster (and the Builder too)? Stay tuned. Takeaways: Matt Lavery was a cherished friend and mentor. The podcast community has lost a valuable member. Job.com’s bankruptcy raises concerns for the industry. Indeed's layoffs reflect ongoing challenges in the job market. Data breaches are a serious issue for tech companies. Chris Foreman's move to TotalJobs is surprising given his previous plans. JobGet's acquisition of Monster signifies a drastic change in the job board landscape. The importance of valuing relationships and time with loved ones.