Shredded: LinkedIn, Indeed, Artisan AI, Meta, Oyster, Textio, OpenAI & 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.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Dude, it turns out that Winston Smart Recruiter's first AI hiring sidekick is taking all the grunt work out of Recruiter's Day. Things like candidate screening, scheduling, all the admin garbage no one actually wants to touch. Winston can do it all.

• 0:17Speaker 01

  Man, you know I'm a fan of using new tech that takes the boring repetitive crap out of a Recruiter's Day and allows them to have more time to connect with hiring managers and candidates.

• 0:29Speaker 00

  Yep, Winston is doing the heavy lifting while recruiters kick back and do the actual hiring stuff. You know, like talking to people.

• 0:37Speaker 01

  I really dig that Smart Recruiters is evolving out of the legacy ATS model and embracing cleaner processes using AI. With most ATS providers, it's like, hey, 2003 called and it wants its 30-minute application process back.

• 0:53Speaker 00

  No doubt. It sounds like Rebecca and the team are using Winston to push Smart Recruiters into the future while the ATS vendors are basically on an AOL dial-up modem with a dashboard.

• 1:05Speaker 01

  With Smart Recruiters, Winston does the grind and the recruiters get the glory.

• 1:11Speaker 00

  For more information on superhuman hiring with Winston, visit smartrecruiters.com. That's smartrecruiters.com.

• 1:19Speaker 01

  Start using Winston today, or I guess you can stick with...

• 1:25Speaker 02

  Now we return you to our regular scheduled program in progress. Hire your kids, lock the doors. You're listening to HR's most dangerous podcast. Chad Soash and Joel Cheeseman.

• 1:38Speaker 03

  Hi kids, it's Cole Cheeseman and I'm bringing you to the shred for the second week of January 2026. 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, the online community where workers of all kinds, like hourly employees, tradespeople, and healthcare technicians access jobs, make connections, and support each other in every aspect of their work life. Jobcase has over 100 million workers on their platform, so if you need to hire, you probably need to talk to Jobcase today. Learn more by going to jobcase.com/hire. Again, that's jobcase.com/hire.

• 2:19Speaker 03

  And now to the news in no particular order. A bipartisan senate bill would direct small business development centers to expand artificial intelligence training and support for small businesses. The measure, a companion to prior house legislation, aims to help firms adopt AI for operations, cybersecurity, data protection, and planning.

• 2:41Speaker 03

  Russia will launch a preliminary program to recruit foreigners and to work in the country. The project, which will run from January 1st, 2027 to December 31st, 2029, is meant to fill Russia's labor gap, but could lead to a reduction in workers from countries of the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States, mainly Central Asia and the South Caucus, as employers explore new sources of labor, including India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.

• 3:10Speaker 03

  LinkedIn expanded its AI-powered job search to Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese, allowing more users to find roles through conversational queries. Launched in 2025, the tool matches job descriptions to opportunities and is used by over 1.3 million members daily.

• 3:29Speaker 03

  Indeed describes research on detecting and preventing resume-based prompt injection that can manipulate AI screening tools. The company outlines safeguards, including manipulation detection, stronger AI guardrails, key man review, and industry collaboration to maintain fair, reliable, merit-based hiring as AI use expands.

• 3:51Speaker 03

  LinkedIn temporarily banned San Francisco-based startup Artisan AI over trademark use and alleged data scraping violations. After addressing LinkedIn's concerns, the company was reinstated. The incident went viral online and highlighted heightened scrutiny of AI startups' data practices.

• 4:14Speaker 03

  Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Talent Capital, a regional workforce and economic development initiative offering an AI-driven platform to connect displaced workers to jobs, training, and career resources across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, supported by government, education, nonprofit, and employer partners.

• 4:39Speaker 03

  Geoffrey Hinton warns AI could cause widespread unemployment and concentrate wealth, particularly affecting routine jobs, while healthcare may remain largely safe. He highlights AI's risk from misuse and superintelligence, criticizes short-term profit-focused, and emphasizes uncertainty about its societal impact.

• 5:03Speaker 04

  Another one.

• 5:04Speaker 03

  Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which humorously depicted office culture, has died at 68 from prostate cancer. Dilbert gained worldwide popularity, appearing in thousands of newspapers and inspiring books, merchandise, and an animated series, cementing Adams' influence in cartooning.

• 5:25Speaker 04

  Another one.

• 5:26Speaker 03

  Meta Platforms is shifting focus from virtual reality to artificial intelligence, cutting about 10% of its Reality Labs VR staff while maintaining augmented reality projects like Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. The company plans up to $70 billion in AI investment, prioritizing growth and infrastructure.

• 5:46Speaker 04

  Another one.

• 5:48Speaker 03

  San Francisco-based Oyster appointed Hadi Moussa as CEO, with founder Tony Jamis transitioning to executive chairman. The leadership change aims to scale Oyster's AI-enabled global employment platform, support emerging markets, and advance equitable hiring. The company remains focused on mission-driven, human-centered workforce solutions.

• 6:11Speaker 04

  Another one.

• 6:13Speaker 03

  Colleen Gallagher announced she is now CEO of Seattle-based TechTO and is launching Lavalier AI, a tool aimed at improving hiring and interviews. She highlighted the importance of structured hiring, TechTO's AI expertise, and support from her team and mentors in developing the new product.

• 6:35Speaker 03

  OpenAI and Handshake AI are reportedly asking contractors to upload examples of past work to help train AI models. Contractors are instructed to remove sensitive information, but experts warn this approach carries intellectual property risk. OpenAI has not commented publicly.

• 6:53Speaker 04

  Another one.

• 6:54Speaker 03

  Ambler, Pennsylvania-based Phenom people acquired Redman, Washington-based Included, an AI-based people analytics platform to enhance workforce insights. Included integrates HR data, applies algorithms for predictive signals, and offers conversational dashboards. The acquisition strengthens Phenom's AI capabilities for workforce planning, supporting strategic HR decisions, and organizational growth. Be sure to tune in to the weekly show for this and more news and commentary from the world of recruiting. Big thanks to Jobcase for supporting the shred. No matter the size of your company, you can quickly find great workers in the Jobcase

• 7:38Speaker 03

  community, whether you need one employee around the corner or want to hire hundreds across the country. Jobcase helps you find the right people fast. Hit up jobcase.com/hire to learn more. Again, that's jobcase.com/hire. Cheeseman out. Adios, turd nuggets.