In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson discuss Thoma Bravo's $12.3 billion acquisition of Dayforce and Workday's back-to-back purchases of AI companies Paradox and Flowise. They also examine contrasting research on AI adoption, with Goldman Sachs predicting minimal workforce disruption while MIT reports that 95% of organizations see zero ROI from generative AI. 

Key points covered include:

↪️ Thoma Bravo takes Dayforce private for $12.3 billion (32% premium), while Workday acquires AI talent acquisition leader Paradox and low-code AI agent builder Flowise.

↪️ Discussion of conflicting studies showing 95% of organizations getting zero ROI from generative AI, contrasted with continued massive investments and the hosts' data showing strategic, tactical AI adoption in HR.

↪️Goldman Sachs study suggests AI will only temporarily impact 2.5% of US jobs, contrasting sharply with MIT findings that 95% of organizations report zero return on AI investments despite continued billion-dollar funding rounds.

↪️ Wave of executive appointments from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and other major tech companies signals HR tech's growing prominence, though hosts warn newcomers about HR's unique compliance and regulatory complexities.

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Cliff Stevenson

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In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper along with Stacey Harris welcome guest RD Whitney, Chief Operating Officer for The CFO Leadership Council, to explore the growing convergence between finance and HR functions. This conversation highlights how CFOs are increasingly involved in HR technology purchasing, particularly in mid-market companies, while AI adoption is creating new challenges around leadership and decision-making responsibilities.

Key points covered include:

↪️ Finance leaders are now heavily involved in decisions around total rewards, compensation, benefits, and employee engagement tools, particularly because these areas directly impact productivity and bottom-line results.

↪️ The implementation of AI technologies is creating confusion about ownership, with CEOs assigning leadership roles differently across organizations, making collaboration between C-Suite execs more critical than ever.

↪️ Organizations are moving away from department-specific technology purchases toward more integrated, enterprise-level decisions that require input from multiple C-suite leaders.

↪️ With the rapid pace of technological change and the potential for significant business disruption, the stakes for making the right technology investments have increased dramatically, requiring more careful evaluation and cross-functional input.

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Teri Zipper

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Stacey Harris

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RD Whitney

LinkedIn

In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson discuss  significant merger and acquisition activity, including SAP's acquisition of Smart Recruiters and the legal implications of Workday's HiredScore integration amid ongoing bias litigation. The conversation also explores key executive moves, industry recognition, and the broader implications of AI adoption in HR while addressing concerns about data reliability in the current market environment.

Key points covered include:

↪️ Sapient Insights Group's annual survey reached over 10,000 participants from 4,300+ organizations (30% increase from previous year), with new UX and vendor satisfaction scores for AI tools and contingent workforce management.

↪️ SAP acquired Smart Recruiters to strengthen their mid-market presence and gain AI talent, while neo gov was purchased by private equity firms, signaling increased consolidation in specialized HR sectors.

↪️ Federal judge ruled that Workday must provide customer lists who used HiredScore's AI features for hiring to determine if bias affected hiring decisions, creating potential compliance concerns for current customers.

↪️ Despite job market challenges, HR tech funding remains strong with $35M raised by Sparrow (AI leave management) and $50M by Ashby (recruiting), plus 74 vendors supporting the annual research survey.

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Stacey Harris

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Cliff Stevenson

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In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Brett Ungashick, Founder and CEO of Outsail, discuss one of the most challenging aspects of HR leadership: selecting and buying the right software solutions. They explore common pitfalls that derail software purchases and strategies for running a thorough, stakeholder-friendly evaluation. This conversation covers how to move beyond flashy demos and sales presentations to focus on what really matters for your organization's long-term success. 

Key points covered include:

↪️ How organizations often fall in love with vendors based on charismatic salespeople and polished presentations, at the risk of ignoring other solutions that might be better suited for their needs..

↪️ The challenge of balancing input from multiple stakeholders without creating "too many voices" that slow progress, and strategies for organizing core project teams versus secondary stakeholder groups.

↪️ The difficulty buyers face in comparing vendor proposals due to inconsistent pricing models, hidden costs, and the importance of understanding total cost of ownership beyond initial software fees.

↪️  How billion-dollar software companies often control the selection process through their sales methodology, and why buyers need to take ownership by setting their own agendas, scorecards, and evaluation criteria.

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Brett Ungashick

LinkedIn

Outsail

LinkedIn

In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson discuss topics ranging from AI system failures and labor market shifts to an increased vendor focus absence and leave management, compensation, and benefits. They also discuss sources HR leaders should be considering for decision-making data and a satirical essay that touches on some truths about HR analysts.  

Key points covered include:

↪️ To follow the Grok debacle, the hosts discuss research showing  AI systems can subliminally pass along biases even when training on neutral numerical data and what happens in multi-agent system failures. The bottom line is that AI systems and agents require ongoing maintenance, careful and audited training, and close oversight.  

↪️ Layoffs have reached their highest levels since 2020, with delayed effects finally showing in latest unemployment data.  The hosts discuss other data sources organizations can leverage for accurate information and workforce planning in addition to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

↪️ In vendor news, Payscale just announced a partnership with WorldatWork, which will give all Payscale users WorldatWork membership benefits, including access to its education and certification programs and other resources about compensation and total rewards. Alight announced a 

↪️ Sage acquiring Fyle signals a broader trend of pure HR platforms integrating finance elements to create more connected systems, particularly beneficial for SMBs seeking streamlined employee-centric financial processes.

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Cliff Stevenson

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In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and Jeff Pole, Co-Founder & CEO of Warden AIi, discuss the reality of AI bias in talent acquisition and hiring processes. This conversation covers the shared responsibility between vendors and organizations when implementing AI tools, practical guidance for evaluating AI systems, and the importance of third-party auditing in building trust. 

Key points covered include:

↪️ AI systems performed more fairly across demographic groups (sex, gender, race, ethnicity) compared to traditional human-driven hiring processes, with 85% of AI systems passing standard fairness thresholds.

↪️ Only 14 AI-related employment discrimination cases emerged over five years, compared to hundreds of thousands of traditional discrimination claims, putting current legal concerns in perspective.

↪️ AI vendors and organizations share responsibility for safe deployment - vendors must build sound systems while users must implement them correctly with proper governance.

↪️ Organizations should involve legal, IT, and risk teams early in AI vendor evaluations, asking for AI explainability statements and understanding how vendors would support clients during potential discrimination claims.

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Jeff Pole

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Warden AI

LinkedIn

In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson break down the latest HR tech news, covering major acquisitions in the skills data space and global expansion moves. The episode examines how companies like Workday are positioning themselves for government contracts and international growth, particularly in India, while addressing the growing demand for talent intelligence solutions. 

They explore worker sentiment data showing widespread job insecurity and the impact of AI anxiety on the workforce, alongside concerning trends about women leaving the tech sector.

Key points covered include:

↪️ SD Worx acquires a French payroll firm targeting small businesses while Lightcast purchases Rhetorik to strengthen their skills data offerings, reflecting two primary growth strategies: global expansion and data monetization.

↪️ Workday continues its roll with the creation of Workday Government, a wholly owned subsidiary to serve the U.S. government; the company also announced expansion into India with a local data center and expanded sales force.  

↪️ Survey data reveals 80% of U.S. workers feel insecure in their roles due to AI concerns, while UK data shows only 7% believe the job market favors them currently.

↪️ The U.S. faces a growing disconnect with an increasing supply of college graduates and a rising demand for skilled trades workers; new educational models combining technical training with critical thinking skills are needed.

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Cliff Stevenson

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In this episode of HR, We Have a Problem, Teri Zipper and guest Stephanie Manzelli, Chief People Officer at Employ Inc., explore the benefits and challenges of AI implementation in talent acquisition. They discuss how AI can reduce bias and automate repetitive tasks, while also addressing the "black box" problem where candidates feel lost in automated screening processes. This conversation is packed with practical strategies for successful AI adoption, including the importance of change management, proper training, and maintaining human judgment in the hiring process.

Key points covered include:

↪️ AI tools are enabling recruiters to focus on candidate skills and potential rather than traditional credentials, linear career paths, and pedigree-based screening.

↪️ Organizations must address the "black box" problem by ensuring AI tools provide visibility into candidate screening processes and avoid automatically dispositioning qualified applicants.

↪️ Successful AI adoption requires comprehensive training on ethical usage, clear communication about value propositions, and ongoing auditing of processes to maintain effectiveness.

↪️ Employe Inc.'s 2025 Job Seeker Nation Report reveals that compensation transparency and frequent communication are key to positive candidate experiences, and more job seekers reported receiving offers at or above salary expectations. 

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Stephanie Manzelli

LinkedIn

Employ

LinkedIn

In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson conduct a wide-ranging conversation covering announcements in the global payroll space, a gigantic contract for Oracle, and a new AI-driven platform for restructuring work.  They also touch on what’s behind tech layoffs and a general consensus among practitioners to tone down the AI hype. 

Key points covered include:

↪️ Payscale expands into Romania with the opening of the Bucharest Technology Hub, solidifying Payscale’s global expansion and reinforcing its commitment to AI research for innovative compensation solutions. 

EPI-USE, a global tech company specializing in implementing SAP solutions, and datascalehr, an AI-native global payroll API vendor, are partnering together to simplify global payroll integrations for multi-national corporations, especially those with employee populations in multiple companies. Hear why companies specializing in integrations and middleware are becoming more and more critical.

Oracle took a risk to be an early mover in the hyperscale market; it has now paid off with a massive $30 billion cloud agreement with OpenAI, the largest cloud agreement for AI to date.   Listen for how Oracle anticipated the enormous server space and computing power that AI would demand, positioning itself ahead of the curve even as competitors questioned the move. into the hyperscale market. 

↪️ Two factors are driving job layoffs and the increasing use of outsourcing and offshoring in the technology sector: The expiration of Section 174, which allowed for 100% tax deductions for research and development expenses, along with current and projected tariffs.

↪️ Highlights from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council conference in New Orleans, which brought together leaders from businesses of all sizes.  A key data point: Women-owned businesses contribute $2.7 trillion to the U.S. economy and employ more than 12 million people.  As Stacey says, “That’s not a niche, that’s real impact.

↪️ Reejig announced the launch of Work Architecture, an infrastructure platform that enables organizations to continuously evolve how work is structured, managed, and deployed. The platform breaks work down into tasks and skills; redesigns roles and org structures without relying on job titles; and importantly, enables skills-based workforce planning at scale.

Jerry Ting, founder and CEO of Evisort, was named Workday’s vice president of agentic AI.  He’ll also continue to lead Evisort, acquired by Workday in 2024, which helps extract insights from unstructured data in contracts and other documents.

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In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson provide updates on two recent industry events, just-announced acquisitions and partnerships, and shifting trends in areas such as managing contingent workers, learning approaches to equip employees with AI skills, and a new way to manage and govern AI across enterprise tech.  

Key points covered include:

Cliff provides an update from the isolved Connect for Partners event in Las Vegas, which brought together hundreds of partners to network and collaborate, gain product insights, and learn about isolved’s product roadmaps.

Stacey highlights parts of her presentation at the Dayforce Summit 2025 in Dallas and shares other news, including the recent announcement that the Government of Canada is moving forward with the adoption of Dayforce’s HR and pay solutions.   

↪️ Beeline’s acquisition of MBO Partners demonstrates Beeline’s commitment to providing a workforce management solution that addresses all types of employees, including contingent workers, freelancers, and consultants, within a unified platform.

↪️ Stacey and Cliff talk about the emerging market entrant Lana AI, which gives companies the ability to “import” blocks of functionality from disparate HR solutions to provide a unified, AI-supported employee engagement platform with advanced analytics.  The company recognizes a need to not only unify systems across the enterprise but to also implement and govern AI across functional areas such as recruiting, employee engagement, and skills development.  

↪️ Greenhouse's partnership with Clear1 introduces airport-style identity verification to candidate screening.  Stacey and Cliff discuss the advantages of integrating Clear1 with  Greenhouse’s hiring platform, especially now with the growing trend of AI-generated resumes and fake candidates; they also talk about the debate over though the debate over potential bias and privacy in the verification process.

↪️ The 28th Annual HR System Survey is LIVE.  In addition to covering all segments of HR tech, the survey will delve into new areas such as contingent workforces and the confluence of work and HR tech. All participants will get a complimentary copy of the final report. Take the report today https://sapientinsights.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3CAEkoe5QFNOEoC?SOURCE=SIGPodcast&ID=156

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