In this week's 'Dear Heretics' segment, Kelli and Nolan examine the contested impact of AI on entry-level employment, featuring HR articles debating whether traditional junior roles are disappearing or evolving upward. The discussion explores practical AI implementation challenges, organizational inertia, and real-world examples of companies leveraging custom AI solutions for recruitment and decision-making processes.

*Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: [email protected]

For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/

HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.

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KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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RELATED LINKS:

Behind the Curtain: Top AI CEO foresees white-collar bloodbath: https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/ai-jobs-white-collar-unemployment-anthropic

Josh Bersin: No, Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away:

https://joshbersin.com/2025/05/no-entry-level-jobs-are-not-going-away/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:34) The White-Collar Bloodbath vs. Optimistic Takes

(01:53) Reality Check: Where's the Actual AI Implementation?

(02:35) The Puck Has Moved: Redefining Entry-Level

(03:31) Headcount Reality: Flat or Down Since 2022

(05:30) Coinbase: The Only Company Actually Doing It

(05:58) Sponsors: Planful & Metaview

(09:00) Human Inertia: The Real Barrier to AI Adoption

(10:47) The Custom GPT Success Story

(13:34) Top-Down Mandates Break Through Inertia

(14:00) Stop Building Programs, Start Experimenting

(16:49) The Biggest Alpha Opportunity Ever

(17:23) Wrap

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com