Grab your favorite beverage for a special, highly opinionated "just us girls" episode of the podcast, featuring Joel Cheesman and Maureen “Moe” Clough taking the mic without the rest of the usual crew.

This week, the duo delivers a light-hearted yet deeply substantive look into the massive worker backlash against artificial intelligence and the brutal realities of today's hiring market. The hosts kick things off with quick hits covering a disastrous, heavily booed commencement speech at the University of Central Florida and a surprising take on the narrative depth of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

From there, the conversation tackles major industry shifts as massive job platforms like Upwork and ZipRecruiter face severe financial softening, sparking a debate on whether automation is permanently consuming traditional contractor roles. The gloves come off as they dissect a bold claim from Andreessen Horowitz labeling legacy HR software giants like Workday a "cartel," while analyzing how defensive tech acquisitions—such as Ashby buying Talent Llama—signal a broader software-as-a-service apocalypse.

Moe offers her expertise on age discrimination, discussing a lawsuit against Bloomberg Industry Group. The discussion moves to the backlash against automated hiring tools and LinkedIn’s new paid consultation feature. Finally, there is a disagreement over Google's new Gemini-powered smart glasses.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast and Hosts

01:35 - Current Events and AI's Impact

05:30 - AI and the Youth Perspective

10:01 - Data Centers and Community Impact16:31Industry News: Upwork, ZipRecruiter, and Workday

19:59 - The Future of Work and AI's Role

22:00 - The SaaS Cartel and Its Challenges

25:02 - Age Discrimination in the Workplace

34:56 - AI's Role in Hiring and Recruitment

42:21 - The Rapid Evolution of AI in Hiring

45:04 - LinkedIn's New Monetization Features

52:51 - The Controversy of Smart Glasses

01:03:01 - The Inevitable Rise of Smart Technology