Across The Bar Podcast

This week on Across the Bar, employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein pour one and dig into a week that had the workplace world buzzing.

First up: Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow made headlines by defending his decision to fire the company's entire HR department — arguing the team was inventing problems that didn't exist — as part of a broader restructuring that also cut roughly 30% of the workforce. Peter and Laura break down whether eliminating HR is bold strategy or a legal and cultural disaster waiting to happen — and what it means for employees who no longer have anyone to call. The conversation then turns to how CEOs are talking about workers right now — and why the language matters more than you might think.

We also talk about what's actually happening with the Meta layoffs and what should workers be paying attention to, including a deeper look at AI and hiring through the lens of one of the most candid CEO statements in recent memory. Cloudflare's CEO wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the company cut "measurers" — middle managers, finance, legal, and operations staff — while prioritizing "builders" and "sellers," even as the company posted record revenue growth. Peter and Laura unpack what this framework means for how companies are reshaping their workforces, and what it tells us about where hiring is headed. 

Plus, should your company have a predictive market policy? It's a question more employers are starting to ask — and the legal and HR implications are real.

And because it's New York and it's May: the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers — and Peter has thoughts.

Fifty episodes in, and the workplace just keeps getting weirder.

To mark the milestone, Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein dig into four stories that show exactly where work, law, and technology are colliding right now.

The OpenAI Trial & Your Digital Footprint: The Musk vs. Altman trial isn't just a billionaire grudge match — it's a masterclass in what happens when your texts, emails, and yes, your diary become evidence. Peter breaks down the digital hygiene habits every executive (and employee) should have before their next sensitive conversation.

AI Is Watching How You Feel: Employers are now deploying AI tools to monitor employees' emotions in real time. We explain why companies think this helps them — and why it might actually create more liability than it prevents.

The Delicate Art of the Payoff: A JP Morgan employee allegedly turned down $1 million to walk away from a harassment claim — and then filed a lawsuit that took on a life of its own. Peter unpacks how companies decide when to settle, when to fight, and what the current climate means for anyone navigating a workplace dispute.

Bad Behavior Company of the Week: TTEC — a $2 billion company with 16,000 American workers — announced it's pausing 401(k) matches to fund AI investment. Peter and Laura call it what it is.

🎙️ Across the Bar drops every week — a lawyer, a journalist, and the workplace stories that actually matter to your career.
📩 Have a story or topic for us? Reach out.

It's internship season — and whether you're the one trying to land a spot or the manager running the program, this episode has something for you.
Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein are joined by career coach and magazine industry veteran Eliot Kaplan — former VP of Talent Acquisition at Hearst, former Editor-in-Chief of Philadelphia Magazine, and former Executive Editor of GQ — for a full breakdown of the internship lifecycle.
In this episode:
🎯 Where to find internships and how to start your search early
📝 Cover letters, networking, and how to get a human to actually see your application
🎤 Interview tips — including the "three greatest hits" strategy and questions that make you stand out
📅 Day one dos and don'ts — how to read the room and set yourself up for a great summer
🚫 What NOT to do (yes, including the alcohol at the work party)
🏢 Advice for employers — structure, mentorship, communication, and the value of reverse mentoring
💼 How to stay in touch after your internship ends and actually convert it into a job offer
⚖️ A quick legal note on confidentiality — what you can and can't share when you go back to school

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Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law — plus a big announcement: next week is Intern Palooza! 🍹This week we cover:

📱 Can you sue your boss for their social media posts? — a listener question Peter and Laura dig into; when a manager's online activity can actually create legal liability, and when your only real remedy is to quit
🤖 AI is more expensive than employees — the CTO of Uber has already blown his entire tech budget on AI in the first third of the year; Peter and Laura break down what this reality check means for the future of the workplace
☀️ Hire summer interns! — Peter makes the case for why every company should be bringing on interns right now, what it costs (less than you think), and why over-lawyering the issue has become its own problem
📺 FCC threatening Disney's broadcast licenses — is the government using regulatory power as a weapon against free speech? Peter and Laura weigh in on the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and what it means for media workers and employers everywhere
⚖️ EEOC goes political — staffers speak out about the agency's increasingly politicized agenda, including one jaw-dropping case Peter and Laura can barely believe is real
🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life — and send us your intern questions for next week's Intern Palooza episode!

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law — straight from a beautiful spring day in New York City. 🍹 This week we cover:

🎬 Toxic workplace allegations at Mr. Beast & Unwell — what these high-profile cases reveal about the real dangers of hiring family members to run your company, and what every founder needs to know before they hand the keys to a spouse or cousin
👩‍💼 Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation — another woman out of Trump's cabinet; Peter and Laura break down the pattern, the allegations, and what no employer should ever tolerate
⌨️ Meta tracking employee keystrokes "for AI training" — is that really what's going on? Peter and Laura dig into employee surveillance, what's legal, and why this is a massive morale problem
💼 Layoffs vs. buyouts — Meta cuts 8,000 jobs while Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts; why the distinction matters and what employees need to know about their rights in each scenario
🤖 When your boss is a boomer about AI — why managers pushing AI too hard (or too clumsily) are demoralizing their teams and driving people out the door

🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law. This week we cover:

🏛️ Swalwell & Gonzales resignations — two congressmen out amid serious sexual misconduct allegations; why known harassers go unreported, why colleagues look the other way, and what managers are legally obligated to do when they know
🔥 Attacks on Sam Altman's home & warehouse arson — workers are burning down warehouses on camera and attacking the homes of tech CEOs; Peter and Laura on what this signals about corporate greed, AI-cover layoffs, and a workforce pushed to the edge
🍸 The office bar is back — JP Morgan, British companies, and others are opening bars at work to lure people back; is it a morale win or a legal nightmare waiting to happen?
🤖 Gen Z hates AI — a new Axios poll shows only 22% of Gen Z is excited about AI; why the youngest workers are the most worried, and what companies and the government should be doing about it
🏆 Heroes & Zeros — the shuttering of Health magazine, a $40 Greenpoint rotisserie chicken, Coachella, and the lost art of talking to strangers

🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.

The world doesn't stop when you clock in — and this week, neither do we. Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein tackle four topics that are impossible to ignore right now. In this episode:

⚔️ Balancing Work & War — When the headlines feel like too much, your employees feel it too. Peter and Laura discuss how managers can check in on their teams, what mental health resources employers should be offering, and how to support your people — including those with family in conflict zones — without making grand public statements.
🏕️ Corporate Retreats Gone Wrong — The WSJ story about the 2017 Plex retreat in Mexico went viral for good reason: a hotel manager who quit, a sick CEO, Navy SEALs, and yes — someone eating a tarantula. Peter and Laura share their own retreat war stories and break down what makes a retreat great vs. a total disaster (hint: it's about inclusion, not intimidation).
🙋 Voluntold — You didn't raise your hand, but suddenly you've got a new assignment and the same paycheck. Peter explains when to embrace the opportunity, when to push back, and why managers need to be careful about who they keep tapping for extra work.
🤯 What to Do When Your Boss Has Lost His Mind — No, we're not naming names. But if you're an executive watching your leader make fiscally reckless, erratic, or potentially illegal decisions, Peter walks through your real options: internal reporting channels, audit committees, whistleblower programs, and when it might just be time to walk.

🎙️ Across the Bar is your weekly drink with a lawyer and a journalist — where employment law meets real life.
New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a round.

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work, and the law — including breaking news regarding Pam Bondi. This week we cover:

🔥 Pam Bondi firing — the AG is out; what it means and why Peter thinks the Supreme Court might have something to do with it
✈️ Air Canada CEO resigns — how one massive communications failure could have triggered a clause that can cost any executive their job
⚖️ EEOC investigation of UPenn — what the agency is actually doing, why some of the reporting is misleading, and why we still have problems with it
💼 Oracle mass layoffs — 20,000–30,000 employees let go by 6 a.m. email with no notice, no goodbye, no access; why Peter says the CEOs should be the ones fired
😔 Has work lost its joy? — a Wall Street Journal piece sparks a real conversation about what companies owe their employees right now
🏆 Heroes & Zeros — Tiger Woods' body cam footage, looks-maxxing, the Artemis 2 launch, and the ad the Democrats better run

🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.

Employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down this week's biggest stories at the intersection of news, work and the law. This week we cover:
🏛️ White collar crime prosecutions are at a 40-year low under the Trump administration — what that means for corporate accountability and why companies should still be watching their backs
📱 Meta's rough week — a landmark court ruling finds Meta liable for harm to minors, a new eye-popping executive compensation plan is announced, and Zuckerberg lands a seat on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
👀 JPMorgan is tracking its junior investment bankers — is it really about employee wellbeing or is something else going on?
💻 Your personal life is on your work computer — why that's more dangerous than ever in the age of AI
🏆 Heroes & Zeros — airport chaos, ICE agents at LaGuardia, Chili's wins the internet and a fashion data account you need to follow

🍹 Grab a drink and join the conversation.
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the laws shaping your work and life.

The Bachelorette has been canceled just days before its premiere—an unprecedented move in reality TV history. On this episode of Across the Bar, Peter Rahbar and Laura Brounstein are joined by media veteran Dan Wakeford to break down the Taylor Frankie Paul scandal and what it means for the future of the franchise, and Disney's new CEO.

We also dive into the week's biggest workplace headlines:

The "Rich Jerk" Firing: Atlassian fired a long-time engineer for criticizing the CEO on Slack. Was it legal? ⚖️

The AI Workforce: FedEx is replacing 50% of its workflows with AI agents by 2028. Is your job next? 📦🤖

The Side Hustle Survival Guide: How to build your side gig without getting fired from your 9-to-5. 💼✨