The Josh Bersin Company

Today, broadcasting from Asia, I discuss the wide range of disrupting change hitting our companies, employees, and leaders and the implications on management. As you’ll hear, AI is only one of many things changing our landscape, and we, as leaders, have to rethink our role. I introduce the idea of a Supermanager, and I explain how in today’s environment change comes from the front-line workforce, not only from the top. This democratizing change in work forces us to redefine what managers do. Despite the blogosphere, managers are not going away but many will be replaced, and you’ll see why this makes sense. I also discuss what I call “The Wisdom of Galileo,” and how our AI agent Galileo has become smarter and wiser than ever. I hope you enjoy this episode, there’s a lot to think about in here. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information The Rise Of The Supermanager: A New Role In The World of AI The Wisdom of Galileo: 100 Use Cases and More The AI Revolution in Corporate Learning (new research) The AI Revolution in Talent Acquisition (new research)  

I have had the pleasure of knowing Julia Stiglitz, one of the founders of Coursera, for years. Her latest venture, Uplimit, is an AI-native corporate learning platform and it is one of the revolutionary systems in the market (complimentary to Galileo Learn, by the way). Julia and I had the opportunity to talk about how online learning has changed, the future of the corporate content market, and how Uplimit is using AI to create cohort-based learning that trains thousands of people at a time. Julia’s background gives her a fascinating perspective on the L&D revolution, one which all business and HR people should hear. (It’s about much more than content!) Additional Information The Revolution in L&D: AI Native Learning Arrives (research study) Workday Acquires Sana To Transform Its Learning Platform And Much More Experience AI Learning in HR and Management: Get Galileo Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube.  

Here’s my quick recap of HR Technology 2025, which was jam-packed with vendors like never before. The HR traffic was down but the vendor traffic was higher than I’ve seen in years. Why? Well $800 billion has been invested in AI infrastructure this year and many of these software companies are taking advantage of it. There are probably too many tools in the market again, but for you HR tech buyers, it’s kind of like a candy store of options. As I discussed in my keynote, it’s a tricky time to pick vendors, but as always it’s important to focus on the problem, not on the product or platform. We also announced the open web feature of Galileo, so now Galileo competes directly with ChatGPT. Read more about it here. And please read our new research on The Revolution in Talent Acquisition, launched this week. Additional Information Get Galileo®, the world’s AI agent for HR and Leadership. Like this podcast? Rate ust on Spotify or Apple. or YouTube.

Today, only a few weeks after acquiring Paradox and Flowise, Workday announced the acquisition of another AI company: Sana Labs. Sana, the company that we partner with for Galileo and Galileo Learn, is a pioneering AI-native platform designed for learning, knowledge management, and agentic applications. The Sana Agent and Sana Learning platforms give Workday a badly-needed upgrade to its learning solution, and also bring deep AI experience into the company. In this podcast I explain the acquisition in some detail, and also describe what we call “The Revolution in Corporate Learning.” Everyone in HR and business should read this research study because it explains one of the biggest business and career disruptions coming out of AI. Read my article about this and you’ll get a sense of how important this space is. Can Workday make Sana into something bigger and even more transformational? Let’s hope so – I describe the opportunity and the huge upside for businesses. And if you want to experience Sana yourself, just get Galileo! Additional Information The Revolution in Corporate Learning. See AI-Native Learning In Action: Get Galileo  

Preview of my big HR Tech keynote! This week I give you in-depth perspectives on the massive AI tech bubble, the massive revolution in talent acquisition systems, and what to expect from M&A in the future. We’re in a whole new world of HR Technology and vendors are scrambling to buy, build, or invest to keep up. I’ll be keynoting many events this Fall to discuss all these issues. Key Discussion Topics Tech and AI investment in 2025 is almost 2.5% of US GDP: is it sustainable? Talent acquisition and recruiting are bigger than ever, and it’s not just an HR function Candidate volumes (driven by AI) are forcing everyone to buy more tech AI is transforming every step of the hiring process, from job descriptions to assessments. Companies need to be cautious about AI with the big Workday Mobley lawsuit to be settled. Mergers and acquisitions in HR tech can lead to operational challenges and integration issues. Additional Information The Revolution in Talent Acquisition: New Research Join our AI Excellence Study Get Galileo: The World’s AI Assistant and Skills Academy for HR  

This week I summarize some massive news about the job market, job creation, and OpenAI’s move to enter the world of AI skills development and talent matching. Please read the detailed article for more details. In addition to diving into these topics, I also tell you my story of “learning agents” and why self-development and AI-powered learning is going to revolutionize your job, your HR team, and your company. It’s all connected: AI, job creation, self-development, and your career. I really want to encourage to you to get Galileo so you can experience this transformation in your career. Galileo is now the premier self-development and AI agent for HR, consultants, and L&D professionals, and we can show you how to propel your company forward into this new world of reinvented jobs, work, and companies. I hope to see many of you in the coming conferences around the world this Fall. Additional Information OpenAI Gets Into Job Placement While The Job Market Crashes Get Galileo, The AI Agent for Professional Development And Growth in All Areas of HR      

This week I’m excited to share my interview with Taylor Stockton, Chief Innovation Officer for the US Department of Labor. You will learn about the American AI Action Plan and the detailed America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age, two strategy documents which describe how the Federal Government is investing in AI technology, workforce readiness, apprenticeships, and new models for education and accreditation. While we used to think of the DOL as the agency that advocates for labor. Today they’re taking a forward-leaning role to reshape the economy through workforce education, development, and research in our new AI-powered business environment. Taylor is keenly aware of the issues employers and workers face, so I know you’ll find this conversation educational and inspiring. There’s a lot to do, but as you’ll hear the DOL is quite focused on the right issues. Additional Information Understanding America’s AI Action Plan Why AI Harm To Jobs and Humanity are Vastly Over-Hyped Read “America’s Talent Strategy” (pdf)

US Labor Day is always a time to celebrate workers. Well this year, unlike years before, the entire labor market is changed. Not only are many front-line workers in high demand, white-collar workers are experiencing a hiring slowdown and automation is impacting everyone. And for the first time in my career, the BLS expects very little job growth in the coming decade. As I discuss in this week’s podcast, it’s time to take a step back and understand that everything we thought we knew about the labor market has changed, and this change is going to accelerate. Listen in and you’ll see the big picture: how shortages will continue, how productivity will grow, and how new ideas like talent density and the Superworker and Supermanager will redefine our companies. And I also describe your new keys to career success. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, we’re in for exciting times ahead. Additional Reading US Job Market To Growth Rate To Drop By 75% In Next Decade (BLS) UK Birth Rate Falls to Record Low The Rise of The Superworker: AI Makes Employees are More Important Than Ever    

In this podcast Kathi Enderes interviews Joe Freed, Chief Product officer at Perceptyx, explains the company’s strategy to extend its employee engagement platform to provide nudges, manager tools, and in-depth analysis of employee needs. While the employee survey is not dead yet, you’ll see where things are going. Perceptyx is a well-known survey and analytics company, known for its highly customizable employee engagement tools. Joe explains how Perceptyx’s acquisition of Humu, Waggl, and Cultivate brought advanced AI and nudge technology to the company, and explains a vision of high-powered employee engagement tools for the future. Additional Information Employee Engagement and Happiness Crisis. What Should We Do? Perceptyx Acquires Cultivate Workday Throws Down The Gauntlet On Employee Engagement: Acquisition of Peakon  

The AI market boom took a pause last week when GPT-5 and some new research from MIT appeared. As you’ll hear, the expectations for AI are extraordinarily high and that causes a lot of bubble effects. Today I explain this bubble and where it’s going. I also discuss our latest experiences with AI transformation in business, and why “task automation” is not really the big opportunity ahead. You’ll see that the Superworker effect changes organization design, jobs, and reward systems. Lots of opportunities for productivity ahead. Galileo, the world’s AI agent for HR, is now the Power Tool you need to stay head. Global research, professional development, data, vendor analysis, and hundreds of HR and management tools, all in one AI platform. Get Galileo now. Additional Information The MIT Report And Why It’s Misleading: AI Definitely Pays Off From 2017: Why Superintelligence Is A Myth Workday to Acquire Paradox. A Bigger Deal Than You Think. Get Galileo, The World’s AI Assistant for HR    

This week I discuss Workday’s acquisition of Paradox, the pioneer in AI-powered conversational recruiting. As I describe in detail, this is a big deal – and it goes beyond Workday’s ability to now offer high-volume, conversational recruitment. Talent Acquisition itself is about to radically change with AI, and this moves Workday into a leading position in what we call “The Revolution in Talent Acquisition.” (Report coming out in October.) I also discuss the latest trends in AI transformation in general, and what we’ve now learned about HR job redesign and how AI really is changing the fundamentals of HR operating models (automating Systemic HR) and job design. For access to all our research, analysis, professional development, and tools, get Galileo, the world’s AI assistant for HR. Additional Information Will Chatbots Take Over HR Tech? Paradox Sets The Pace. The Systemic HR Operating Model: How AI Transforms The Function Learn about AI in HR: Join The Josh Bersin Academy (Galileo Learn)  

The new battle for AI supremacy is now moving to the application development space, or IDE (Integrated Development Environments). These companies, like Cursor, Windsurf, Github Copilot, Replit, Google AI Studio, and Microsoft Power tools, are exploding with growth. Why? Because in the world of AI, we’re all application developers! (Listen to “We’re All Software Engineers Now” for more.) Well, as I explain in this market, the big players like Workday now want to be your development environment. In this podcast I explain this space and some history of IDE’s in the client/server era. (It more or less predicts where this is going.) Listen in and you’ll understand why billions of VC dollars are suddenly going into dev tools for AI, why you’ll be using one of these soon, and how Workday and others will respond. I also briefly explain how Galileo plays in this space. We’re coming up on HR Tech season so come see us at HR Technology Conference in Vegas (September), Unleash (October), and SAP Connect. More to Read Workday Flowise Acquisition Windsurf vs Copilot vs Cursor (a little geeky) Galileo Venus Release (Video: Galileo for Managers, Task Library Tools, Learning Integration) What Is Vibe Coding Anyway? 1994: Sybase Acquires Powersoft (how history repeats itself!) (NYT Download)      

In this podcast I interview Eric Mosley, the Founder and CEO of Workhuman, a $Billion dollar company that pioneered the market for employee recognition. Today Workhuman has more than 7.7 million users and is widely used by many of the largest companies in the world. What does Workhuman do? Well they help you build a corporate wide program for employee recognition and feedback that creates one of the most important positive engagement drivers one can find. Employees who feel appreciated and recognized are 4X more likely to be highly engaged and 4X more likely to see a growth path in their companies. Our research found that companies with a high recognition culture have a 70% lower voluntary turnover rate. And there’s much more: the information from recognition (Workhuman calls it “Human Intelligence”) gives you valuable information on skills, strengths, culture, and organizational health you can find. This is a story about entrepreneurship, culture, and the importance of human centered leadership, something that’s refreshing in a world where everyone always wants to talk about AI! Additional Information Our Recognition Research, explaining the power of appreciation and thanks. U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low (Gallup) Why Are Managers So Miserable at Work?  

This week I have an update on the “real world” of AI transformation, based on some important conversations I’ve had (and these folks will join the podcast soon.) First, I talked with the Department of Labor and also reviewed new research from Goldman Sachs and we do find that “AI is not wiping out jobs.” As you’ll hear, there is a slowdown in hiring, but actually AI is “creating new work,” despite Dario Amodei’s predictions that white collar jobs are going away. (I don’t know about you, but I rarely wear my white collar shirts any more, so he may be correct on the shirt front.) Second, listen to the discussion about software automation, Thomas Dohmke, who was interviewed on The Verge. That convo was fascinating: despite AI’s ability to write code, engineers will just write more code.  Listen to my explanation in the podcast. Third, I had a wonderful conversation with Jacqui Canney, the CHRO and AI Enablement Officer at ServiceNow. As you’ll hear, Jacqui’s team at ServiceNow has published their AI Playbook and AI Maturity Model which I encourage you to read. She described their governance model, use case approach, and more – and further convinced me that AI transformation is a people problem, not a tech problem. And one more thing: for those of you who think AI “destroys” or “disrupts” your company, I put together a ten minute video on our own AI journey and how AI amplifies and scales what we do, essentially creating a company of Superworkers. We are proving the Superworker company model right here. Additional Resources Get Galileo: Agent and Learn Bundle Goldman Exchange podcast on labor market The Verge interview with Thomas Dohmke from GitHub The Rise of the Superworker: Four Stages of AI in the Workforce The Josh Bersin Company’s AI Transformation  

This week we introduce Galileo for Managers, an exciting new part of the Galileo Platform – designed to help business professionals with day-to-day management. As you’ll hear in this podcast, Galileo for Managers brings together the best of AI with 25+ years of research into management, leadership, business, and HR. As I discuss in today’s announcement, Galileo for Managers revolutionizes the market for leadership development, coaching, and organizational change. And as HR budgets get tight, Galileo for Managers also helps HR teams scale and extend their leadership development to every manager and every leader. Listen to the details, you can license Galileo for Managers and learn more here. Additional Information Get Galileo for Managers (learn more) The Galileo Platform Strategy Explained (Video)    

This week SAP SuccessFactors announced the acquisition of SmartRecruiters, one of the fastest-growing talent acquisition platforms. This is much more than a technology deal: it demonstrates the value of talent and the massive redefinition of “applicant tracking systems” taking place today. While the deal is not final and details are yet to come, I highlight the real implications of this acquisition and why SAP will see a lot of value out of this deal. Stay tuned for more from us about SAP coming this Fall, and our new “Revolution in Talent Acquisition” research will be launched in September. Additional Information Research Shows It’s Time To Reinvent Talent Acquisition Why Do Companies Hire Too Many People? The Dynamic Organization: How To Design For Growth  

This week the WSJ highlighted the latest trends. CEOs proudly announcing layoffs and hiring freezes, only to see their stock price go up in celebration. The AI Superworker era has arrived, and companies are now plowing ahead with automation-induced workforce reductions. All this is not as simple as it sounds. AI budgets are skyrocketing (EY survey shows that 21% of large companies are spending more than $10M already on AI agents), well before the productivity benefits have occurred. So while many great AI use-cases exist, a lot of the headcount cuts are just budget-reallocation from labor to capital, with hopes for productivity to come. I have no concerns that massive Superworker productivity is coming, but the process is spotty, messy, and uneven. So in this podcast I discuss our newest research on AI transformation and give you some perspectives on all these announcements. A few nuggets to think about: The economy is slowing, so most headcount freezes are not only AI automation bets, they’re also insurance against a slowdown Employees and mid-level managers are fearful, causing friction and complexity in automation AI strategies that ask “employees to figure out how to become more productive” have some but limited impact, while strategic projects are working better The HR focus on “task analysis” is interesting and useful, but not the optimum approach Companies are starting to get real about AI spending, so the “blank checkbook” to buy enterprise AI is slowing Companies that lay people off have plenty of other issues to consider, including brand, culture, and long term growth. Additional Information The Rise of The Superworker: AI Empowers Workers The Four “New SoftSkills” We Need To Thrive In The Age of AI A Revolution in Corporate Learning: Save Millions with AI-Native Learning Get Galileo®, The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR  

After many dozens of conversations with companies and AI vendors about AI transforming work, I’m left with one burning question. If we actually succeed in automating all our work tasks, data analysis, coding, and content generation, are these systems truly able to replace humans? I”m left with a very simple answer: NO. And the reason for this is not that AI won’t keep getting “smarter,” it’s the fact that we, as human organic animals, posses a magical power of intuition, largely fueled by our emotions. And emotions are built on millions of years of adaptation, genetics, and personal experiences – attributes that AI simply does not have. My argument, as you’ll hear in this podcast, is that these emotions make up our intuitive decision-making power. And this very human part of our intelligence is what makes companies, teams, and individuals succeed. No matter how “superintelligent” the AI becomes, I advocate that human emotions and strong intuition is still the most powerful form of “intelligence” we have. I look forward to talking with each of you about this idea, because it’s an important part of the AI transformations in our lives, careers, and companies. Additional Ideas The Six Major Theories Of Emotion The Rise of The Superworker My Fav Website about Happiness, GGSC The Gene: An Intimate History, by Siddartha Mukhergee ChatGPT’s Answer to “How Does Human Emotion and Intuition Compare to AI?”      

Yesterday the White House released The American AI Action Plan, a 28-page policy document which covers many of the most important national (and global issues) we face in the new world of AI. As I briefly discuss today, there are many fantastic policy positions in here (a few odd ones, but they’ll be worked out over time) and the bottom line is that the US Federal Government now has a deep understanding of AI technology, markets, businesses, and the impact on jobs and the workforce. We will be talking more with the Department of Labor and sharing some of the more important initiatives in workforce skilling, career enablement, and support soon. Lots more to discuss here, so I’ll make sure we keep you up to speed as more policy and important regulatory changes take place. For those of you most interested in AI’s impact on jobs, careers, and your workforce, please read “The Rise of the Superworker” to get a good perspective on the future of work in this new AI era. Additional Information Why AI Harm To Jobs and Humanity are Vastly Over-Hyped Prompting is Programming: We’re All Software Engineers Now! No, Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away. The Four “New SoftSkills” We Need To Thrive In The Age of AI Get Galileo®, The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR

One of the most fundamental issues in business is “how we make decisions.” Should top management make all the decisions? Or should we let front-line staff collaborate and weigh in on company strategies. Well in the political sphere, we’re testing these two models out in real time. And as I discuss, the “democratic” model leads to economies with higher levels of growth and energy, under most conditions. In this podcast I explain the pros and cons of both approaches, explain what “employee activation” is all about, and challenge you to think about this topic in your daily work. Are you one to decide and tell other what to do? Or are you one to wait, listen, and consolidate ideas before making the call? As we prepare to launch Galileo for Managers, I wanted to help you think through this important lesson in empowerment and decision-making, one which we all face frequently in our work lives, political lives, and even family. Additional Information Citizenship At Work: Dealing With Politics Inside and Outside The Company Irresistible Leadership: Explained Work in the AI Age:  “The Rise Of The Superworker” Get Galileo®! The AI Agent Exclusively Designed for Everything HR! Galileo Learn: More than 700 Courses in all areas of HR, AI, HR Tech, and Leadership