The Josh Bersin Company

This week I discuss the AI, HR Tech, and consumer AI market in front of announcements next week at the Unleash Conference in Vegas.

I discuss how HR Tech is now becoming “Life Tech” (not just Work Tech) and the dynamics of big players like Microsoft, Oracle, Workday, SAP, ServiceNow, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and smaller vendors like Cornerstone, Findem, Lightcast, Maki People, Eightfold, WorkHuman and others who are vying for attention with their AI offerings.

Next week I’ll detail many of these announcements in my keynote and I hope to see many of you in Vegas at Unleash and the following week at Transform. So much to absorb and understand: we are here to help you sort it all out.

Additional Information

Layoffs at Atlassian, Block, Amazon are Misleading. AI Alone Is Not The Story.

The World of Corporate Training Lurches Toward Enablement

Oracle’s Earnings Prove That AI Infrastructure Is Eating Enterprise Software

Enterprise AI Architecture: Imperatives for 2026

Webinar: Watch a replay of Josh’s walkthrough of the 11 essential imperatives HR & business leaders need to know for success and progress in 2026.

Galileo Learn: Complete The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise learning program, and discover the hands-on skills required to navigate the redefinition of work, HR teams, and organizations in the era of superworkers and superagents.

Get Galileo: The Enterprise AI Agent for HR

Oracle’s earnings announcement yesterday demonstrates the company’s shift to a new type of enterprise “software” company, challenging companies like SAP, Workday, Salesforce, and many others. In this podcast I explain this shift, the history of Oracle, and where AI is taking the enterprise software market.

Here is the source article to read, and I look forward to further discussions on this topic with our clients and vendor partners.

Reference Information

Oracle’s Earnings Prove That AI Infrastructure Is Eating Enterprise Software

Nvidia Explains The New Software Stack (5-Layer Cake)

Oracle Earnings Announcement

 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Analysts on Oracle's Earnings
(00:01:35) - Oracle's Rise to the Cloud
(00:08:43) - Oracle's Future in the AI World

Today I’m publishing a bonus episode with a discussion of the US Job Market and also explain why Anthropic’s new AI-Job destruction research is misleading.

I also discuss the whole idea of “job-task analysis” and why “AI exposure” (Anthropic’s methodology) doesn’t really reflect how AI transforms jobs, companies, and the economy.

Let’s discuss all this at Irresistible 2026 or read my substack article on this topic and we can discuss there.

Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube.

Additional Information

New Anthropic Report on Job Destruction Is Misleading (article)

Anthropic Report (from Anthropic)

US consumer confidence plunges to 12-year low (Financial Times)

BLS Jobs Numbers

Join us in Irresistible 2026, June 8-10 at USC, the world’s leading conference for HR Leaders and Teams. (Here’s the top 10 reasons to come!)

 

 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - President Trump on the American Economy
(00:04:54) - On the Job Losses Due to AI
(00:13:02) - Robots and Repair People
(00:22:40) - Steve Jobs: Jobs to Change
(00:24:05) - The Super Worker and the Future of Healthcare Jobs

This week I tackle the situation where AI tools are exploding everywhere while ROI and economic productivity is hard to find. I also discuss the “commoditization” of AI “features” and the shift in value to “AI applications,” which is good for all corporate buyers and users.

You’ll understand how important it is to build a long term strategy, despite all the experiments going on (contact us to see our HR Blueprint).

I also discuss the Galileo Everywhere strategy and how we’ve been expanding Galileo to support employees and leaders, not just HR.

Remember to come to Irresistible 2026, the world’s leading conference for HR Leaders and Teams. (Here’s the top 10 reasons to come!)

Additional Information

Enterprise AI Architecture: Imperatives for 2026

New Research: How AI Transforms $400 Billion Of Corporate Learning

Webinar recording: Watch a replay of Josh’s walkthrough of the 11 essential imperatives HR & business leaders need to know for success and progress in 2026.

Josh Bersin Podcast: Listen in as Josh provides much-needed guidance for understanding the biggest HR transformation in decades.

Galileo Learn program: Complete The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise learning program, and discover the hands-on skills required to navigate the redefinition of work, HR teams, and organizations in the era of superworkers and superagents.

Get Galileo: The Enterprise AI Agent for HR and Leadership (check out Galileo for Consultants!)

Chapters

(00:00:00) - HR & AI: The Vendor Market
(00:03:54) - A message about Galileo and the HR Conference
(00:06:10) - The Return on Investment of AI
(00:17:47) - Where's the Return on Investment in Tech?

Understanding the Frontline Workforce. As our research point out, more than 70% of all US workers (80% Worldwide) work in a frontline (customer facing or operational facing) role. We all have teams in these positions so it’s important for business and HR leaders to understand this space.

This is the first podcast in a series with Josh Secrest, the head of marketing at Paradox, a Workday Company, that pioneered conversational recruiting from end to end.

Josh Secrest brings deep frontline expertise from previously leading Global Talent Strategy and Talent Acquisition at McDonald’s and leading Talent and Culture at Abercrombie & Fitch, while currently serving on board leadership roles for the National Restaurant Association and the National Retail Federation Foundation.

Josh and I will be sharing a series of conversations to help you understand best-practices in high-volume recruiting, frontline workforce management, and the economics and financial business case for automation in this space.

This episode features a deep discussion on the critical role of frontline workers in the workforce, exploring how technology, management, and strategic support can transform frontline work environments. It highlights innovative practices and future trends in supporting frontline employees across retail, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.

Keywords
frontline workers, workforce strategy, HR technology, AI in HR, employee retention, frontline management, retail, hospitality, workforce support, digital transformation

Key topics
Importance of frontline workers
Impact of technology and AI on frontline support
Role of frontline managers in business success

Additional Information

Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive (research)

Josh Bersin Company Highlights Cost of Neglecting Frontline Workers (research)

An Exploration into the Frontline Workforce with Josh Bersin (video)

Tailor your HR and Management Programs for Frontline Work with Galileo, the Expert AI Agent for HR

Chapters

(00:00:03) - Josh Seacrest
(00:01:16) - Workers on the Frontline
(00:02:26) - The Power of a Front-Line Manager
(00:03:39) - The Impact of Frontline on Business
(00:05:37) - The Role of Frontline Workers
(00:11:59) - McDonald's On AI & The Future of Workforce
(00:14:46) - Backline Manager: The Future of Data-driven Business
(00:16:52) - Employee Care in the Future
(00:19:38) - Give Your Employees More Money
(00:21:23) - Fast Food On The Podcast
(00:22:30) - The New Talent: 711 and More
(00:25:48) - Josh on the Business of Segmentation