The Chad & Cheese Podcast

Evergreen Podcasts
  • 4.3 (88)
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Everything people and workforce—recruiting, marketing, technology, talent management, and workforce economics—delivered with biting sarcasm and unapologetic snark. Industry misfits Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman bring their no-holds-barred opinions to dissect news, trends, and the occasional dumpster fire. If you’re a hiring company, staffing firm, or vendor looking for insights (and a thick skin), these two won’t just tell you what’s happening—they’ll tell you why you’re probably doing it wrong. Buckle up, buttercup.

  1. 1d ago

    Meta Employee Meltdown : LinkedIn Goes Loco : 32-Hour Work Week Law?

    This week on Chad and Cheese, Joel and JT unpack four stories that actually matter if you hire, manage, or look for work. Buckle-up buttercup! Meta just reversed two of its most controversial internal bets: pushing individual contributors back into middle-management seats after the layoffs, and pausing a monitoring program employees believed was training their AI replacements. The hosts dig into what the internal data showed, why “no managers, full surveillance” keeps failing at scale, and what it does to a brand that used to be a résumé flex. Then they hit a Business Insider piece on “LinkedIn lunatics”—the people who post like their career depends on it. JT is in the article. They talk about why the platform now rewards proof of knowledge over old job titles, why companies that police employee posting may have a bigger problem than they think, and where LinkedIn’s real money might be heading next. Who’d You Rather pits two freshly funded plays against each other: Jack and Jill, a conversational-AI recruiter that just raised $40 million, versus Boomerang HR, an alumni-network platform that raised $12.7 million. One host goes big and conversational. The other bets the niche player survives the giants. They close on Bernie Sanders and Mark Takano’s bill to phase the work week from 40 hours to 32 with no pay cut. JT has already run a shorter week. Joel likes the theory and questions whether Slack and after-hours email would let anyone actually unplug. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and episode overview 04:03 - AI's real threats and opportunities 07:58 - The political landscape of AI regulation 10:08 - The future of AI agents and their impact 12:05 - The evolution of social media and LinkedIn 13:56 - The concept of LinkedIn as a platform for validation 16:10 - The changing nature of employee branding and social media 18:00 - Controversial advertising and brand strategy 20:01 - Upcoming events and travel plans 21:54 - Fantasy football league update 24:03 - Meta's internal policy reversals and lessons 25:57 - The future of work and AI in HR 28:10 - The importance of human oversight in AI systems 29:56 - The potential of AI to monetize individual expertise 31:58 - Who'd you rather? Company comparisons 33:59 - Historical lessons on technology and automation 36:09 - The importance of employee activity on social media 37:58 - The role of AI in recruitment and job seeking 39:55 - The shift from corporate control to individual branding 42:00 - The untapped potential of employee advocacy 43:55 - Legal and ethical considerations in AI and surveillance 46:03 - The coming digital renaissance and new monetization models 48:01 - Predictions for the future of AI and work 50:05 - The impact of new legislation on work hours 52:12 - The benefits of a shorter workweek and flexible work policies 54:03 - The cultural shift towards work-life balance 56:06 - The importance of boundaries and boundaries management 58:03 - Humor and light-hearted moments in the discussion 59:56 - Close

  2. 2d ago

    Shredded: Intermezzo, Meta, Oracle, LinkedIn, BoomerangHR, Glassdoor, Workday, & More

    The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

  3. 4d ago

    How AI is Reshaping the Workplace with Paul Roetzer

    SmarterX founder and CEO Paul Roetzer joins the boys for a chat about how AI is reshaping the workforce in ways most don't suspect. Paul sold his marketing agency in 2021 as AI was already writing at near-human level—then ChatGPT showed up and things went into hyperdrive. Bentley and Gallup’s 2026 numbers say most Americans, especially young ones, don’t trust companies that use AI, while Microsoft, Google, and every CRM already do. Paul talks human-centered adoption, Jobs GPT, Copilot/Gemini/Claude stall-outs, why IT shouldn’t own this, and what IBM, Deloitte, and McKinsey actually sell. He walks through his Co-CEO GPT, a nine-month Anthropic/Claude build, HubSpot Breeze, Monday data agents, “human in the loop” versus a phrase he coins live, the 100-person split that becomes an HR problem, recruiting through a flood of AI applications, liberal-arts hires, and what he tells parents when asked about AI and entry level jobs.

  4. Sep 11

    Jobs Utopia or Fiasco?

    Joel, Chad , and Emi break down the intersection of AI recruitment technology, global labor markets, and industry regulation, alongside pop culture banter and sports highlights. Key Topics Covered:Pop Culture & Fantasy Football: Reactions to Steve Ballmer's retro Microsoft commercials and NBA ban, US Open tennis highlights, and fantasy football draft grades. HR Tech & Startups: Spotlights on Sonic Jobs' LLM integrations, Hackajob's Archer agent rebranding following a 3x ARR increase, and previews of global HR events. The H-1B & Union Debate: A look at how H-1B visa restrictions drive different hiring behaviors. Jobs Report Reality Check: An analysis of August's 162,000 job additions, against structural economic shifts, immigration, and tariff impacts. AI Compliance & Job Board Evolution: The European crackdown on fully automated management illustrated by Uber's €825 million Dutch fine, and what the closure of Guardian Jobs signals for traditional recruitment advertising.

  5. Sep 10

    Shredded: Factorial, Empion, Werkhelden, JobBooster, Guardian Jobs, Jobbio, Amply, & More

    The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

  6. Sep 8

    Real Girls, Real AI & Real Talk with Lauren B. Jones

    On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad welcome Lauren B. Jones—founder and CEO of Leap Advisory Partners and author of Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI—fresh off the farm in Northern California where the roosters clock in at 4:30 a.m. With nearly 30 years in staffing and recruiting under her belt, Lauren cuts through the AI hype with a no-BS reality check: most companies claim they’re using AI, but only a fraction are seeing real ROI because they’re chasing shiny tools instead of solving actual problems. She breaks down why leaders still need to get the basics right, how to stop the “slop,” and why policy, education, and enablement—in that order—matter more than ever. Plus, they dig into why women approach AI differently, what parents should be teaching their kids, and why treating AI like Google is a fast track to garbage output. It’s practical, a little snarky, and exactly the kind of conversation HR’s Most Dangerous Podcast was made for. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Lauren B. Jones and episode overview 02:01 - The current state of AI adoption in staffing and recruiting 04:09 - How leaders can start educating themselves about AI capabilities 06:10 - Framework for organizations: eliminate, automate, AI 07:53 - Using surveys to identify automation opportunities 10:13 - The importance of policy, education, and enablement in AI adoption 11:59 - Global policy landscape and the need for regulation 14:08 - The evolution of AI tools like Jasper and ChatGPT 16:04 - Research findings on women and AI in the workplace 17:54 - The motivation behind writing 'Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI' 20:10 - Overcoming overthinking and confusion in AI adoption 22:10 - Advice for parents and children on AI safety and skills 24:02 - The impact of social media and AI on society 26:00 - The role of quality input and human oversight in AI outputs 27:57 - Connecting with Lauren B. Jones and final thoughts

  7. Sep 4

    HiBob Beast Mode & DOL Dismantles Worker Protections

    The latest episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast delivers a hard-hitting breakdown of massive developments across technology, enterprise software, and corporate compliance. The boys tackle Salesforce leading a massive $166 million investment round into HR tech provider HiBob, exploring how this ties into broader ecosystems involving competitors like Deel, Rippling, SAP, SmartRecruiters, Workday, Paradox, Greenhouse, and iCIMS. They also break down a controversial promotional stunt by startup Lemon Lime at an unofficial Y Combinator afterparty, where attendees were offered fast-track job interviews in exchange for getting company tattoos. The conversation then shifts to the future of labor, dissecting Bill Gates’ latest decade-long predictions regarding AI automation and workforce displacement. Finally, the co-hosts investigate a major regulatory shakeup from the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). They explore the rollbacks of critical affirmative action hiring mandates for federal contractors, alongside a projected budget proposal that could defund the watchdog agency and transfer its remaining functions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and main themes 01:58 - Discussion on AI's disruptive potential in the workforce 03:59 - Recent funding and valuation of HR platforms like Hi Bob 08:04 - Policy changes impacting diversity and veteran hiring 11:57 - Humorous stories about personal experiences and industry events 19:55 - The resurgence of SaaS companies and their strategic moves 28:00 - Bill Gates' warnings on AI and workforce disruption 34:02 - The societal impact of AI and economic considerations 45:02 - The trend of using jobs for marketing and employer branding 55:02 - Humorous anecdotes about tattoos and job interviews

  8. Sep 3

    Shredded: Workday, Yardstik, Accenture, McCoy, Comware, Recruiter.com, HiBob, & More

    The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

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About

Everything people and workforce—recruiting, marketing, technology, talent management, and workforce economics—delivered with biting sarcasm and unapologetic snark. Industry misfits Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman bring their no-holds-barred opinions to dissect news, trends, and the occasional dumpster fire. If you’re a hiring company, staffing firm, or vendor looking for insights (and a thick skin), these two won’t just tell you what’s happening—they’ll tell you why you’re probably doing it wrong. Buckle up, buttercup.

Information

  • Creator
    Evergreen Podcasts
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.7K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Chad & Cheese Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Chad & Cheese Podcast

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