In this year end special of Cappuccino with HR, Rudi Bauer is joined by Hung Lee, Curator of Recruiting Brainfood, for a reflective look at 2025 and what it revealed about the future of HR, recruiting and work.

Together they discuss the biggest surprises and disappointments of the year, the reality behind the AI hype and the trends shaping conferences, hiring and candidate experience. Hung shares sharp observations on why tools and ideas are not the problem but implementation often is, and what leading companies are doing differently to move the industry forward.

The conversation also explores changing roles in HR and tech, shifting skill requirements, resilience, experimentation and what HR leaders should focus on heading into the new year.