The Chad & Cheese Podcast
Original podcast
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.
1,078 words · 6 speakers
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.
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.
Yep, Winston is doing the heavy lifting while recruiters kick back and do the actual hiring stuff. You know, like talking to people.
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.
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.
With Smart Recruiters, Winston does the grind and the recruiters get the glory.
For more information on superhuman hiring with Winston, visit smartrecruiters.com. That's smartrecruiters.com.
Start using Winston today, or I guess you can stick with...
Now we return you to our regular scheduled program in progress.
Hide your kids, lock the doors. You're listening to HR's most dangerous podcast. Chad Soash and Joel Cheeseman.
Hi kids, it's Cole Cheeseman and I'm bringing you the shred for the third 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.
First, before I get into the news, I want to send a special shout out to my Indiana Hoosiers. No further explanation needed. And now to the news in no particular order. San Francisco-based TopTal acquired Graphite, a San Francisco-based talent platform founded in 2015 with more than 12,000 vetted independent experts. The deal expands TopTal's range of independent talent offerings amid broader consolidation in the global talent platform market.
Another one.
New York City hospitals are paying up to $9,000 weekly to temporary nurses during a strike, significantly exceeding typical pay rates. These elevated staffing costs are adding financial pressure to hospital budgets already strained by ongoing labor disruptions.
Brazil is emerging as a US hiring hub due to its large skilled workforce, growing technology and service sectors, time zone alignment, and competitive costs. While regulatory complexity remains a challenge, partnering with local firms enables scalable nearshoring and global expansion opportunities.
Cyprus-based ANA raised $1 million in seed funding from an angel investor to expand its AI-driven hiring platform. The platform automates screening, interviews, and career coaching to improve recruitment efficiency, reduce costs, and support both employers and candidates in increasingly automated hiring process.
Bold Holdings has disclosed few details since acquiring Monster and CareerBuilder, but recent hiring activities suggest a strategy focused on rebuilding a high-volume inside sales operations for SMBs alongside continued investment in subscription-based candidate services supported by data and AI teams.
Saudi Arabia startup ReSquad AI raised $1.5 million in a seed round led by SRG to launch its AI-powered recruitment platform. This brings total funding to $1.8 million. The SaaS platform automates technical hiring for developers and plans expansion across the GCC and select international markets, leveraging a proprietary large language model.
Monster founder Jeff Taylor launched Boom Band, a US-based job matching platform starting in Boston. Users create profiles or dossiers to present their professional experience and must request access. Approximately 1,500 people are on the waiting list. Early users note its visual design and networking features.
Delta Airlines will distribute $1.3 billion in 2025 profit sharing, giving employees an average 8.9% bonus of annual pay. This formula-based program, applied across the workforce, reflects Delta's sustained profitability and long-term commitment to employee compensation, totaling over $13 billion since 2007.
OpenAI will begin testing ads on ChatGPT's free and $8 ChatGPT Go tiers, while subscriptions like Plus, Pro, and Enterprise remain ad-free. Ads will be labeled, avoid sensitive topics, and not influence responses, with user data kept private and personalization optional.
San Francisco-based Remote has acquired San Francisco-based Atlas to enhance its HR and payroll platform with integrated financial tools. The combined platform will offer global teams unified expense management, employee cards, flexible benefits, and multi-country healthcare, aiming to simplify cross-border financial operations for distributed workforces.
Toronto-based Dochebo acquired France-based 365 Talents for $54.6 million to integrate AI-driven skills intelligence into its learning platform. The combined solution aims to link skills data with learning, internal mobility, and workforce actions, enabling enterprises to translate skill insights into measurable outcomes and personalized development paths.
New York-based fintech Payoneer has acquired Dublin-based startup Boundless, which provides platforms for cross-border payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance. The acquisition aims to help Payoneer manage global talent more efficiently, expanding its workforce management capabilities and simplifying international hiring for businesses.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Heisman winner, and 2026 NFL prospect deleted nearly all apps except LinkedIn, using it to share leadership insights. His post-game interviews reflect a process-driven, stoic-inspired mindset, combining athletic performance with professional-style advice and intentional self-presentation.
Meta will discontinue Horizon Workrooms and stop selling VR headsets and business software, shifting its metaverse focus from immersive VR to mobile experiences. The company also cut over 1,000 Reality Labs jobs, closed multiple VR studios, and recommends alternative collaboration tools for businesses.
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 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.
Page updated November 11, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated
