The Josh Bersin Company

In this podcast I reflect on five big things we didn’t talk about much this year, and each falling into the “Human Capital” agenda. We spent much of our year worrying about AI, agents, productivity, and jobs, largely putting the “Human Capital” agenda on the back burner. While AI is certainly the defining technology of our times, there are human capital issues to consider. As I discuss, these “soft” issues help us address the “socio-technological” impacts of AI. There’s no question that AI is amazing and it will change our lives. As business people, however, we need to remind ourselves of the human capital issues that matter too. PS: The impact of AI on the job market is already taking a toll. Younger workers are now experiencing much higher unemployment rate than tenured workers, largely because companies believe AI can replace apprenticeships. I’m not a fan of this strategy but you can listen to this analysis to understand. Our big 2026 Imperatives report comes out in January, stay tuned. Additional Information The Dynamic Organization (the human capital strategies that matter during change) The Collapse And Rebirth Of Online Learning And Professional Development Human Centered Leadership (Galileo Learn program) The Healthy Organization (research)     Chapters (00:00:00) - The Business Agenda for 2025(00:09:57) - Human Capital Issues for 2021(00:13:57) - The Future of Jobs Is Uncertain

This week Coursera announced the acquisition of Udemy, demonstrating the accelerating collapse of the 25-year old traditional online learning industry. As I explain in this podcast, this industry is not going away but it’s being quickly and radically transformed by AI. The upside here is a new, highly personalized world of professional development ahead. While courseware, certifications, credentials, and online curricula won’t disappear overnight, the business model of providers is changing very quickly. In this podcast I explain this shift and also show you how our particular Galileo business model works. As someone who participated in the birth of this industry in 1998, I could not be more excited about this new world. If you’re a corporate HR or L&D professional, this transforms your training function. If you’re a vendor or consultant, this changes your business model. And if you’re a business person or senior leader, you have an exciting new world of professional development appearing before your eyes! Stay tuned for more as this market shift accelerates. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information How AI Is Blowing Up The Corporate Learning Market: The Whole Story The Revolution of Corporate Learning: Join The Crusade (research and case studies) Galileo: The AI Rebirth of The Josh Bersin Academy     Chapters (00:00:00) - The collapse of the online learning industry(00:07:29) - The New Paradigm of Continuous AI-(00:17:43) - The Transformation of L&D

Talent Acquisition is perhaps the most important but also complex part of business. In this podcast I explain the intricate details of this $750 billion market, which is now being transformed by AI. As you’ll hear, recruitment is far more nuanced than you may think, so “experts” in HR can do some pretty amazing things. I hope this podcast helps you see the entire landscape and also understand where and why AI can have such an impact. Many tech companies have tried and failed to transform the market (Google Jobs failed, Facebook Jobs failed), yet some thrive and deliver tremendous value. As you listen to this podcast I hope you get a better sense of where this market is going and I encourage you to get Galileo and ask Galileo to explain the vendor market in detail (it is updated almost daily). As always I welcome your feedback and if you have an amazing or interesting story to share, please reach out to us. Like this podcast? Rate us on Spotify or Apple or YouTube. Additional Information The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting (research) AI-First TA Transformation: Join the Revolution! (certificate course) Talent Acquisition Factbook (Benchmark your TA team).   Chapters (00:00:00) - The Process of Hiring and Talent Acquisition(00:07:42) - The 3 Step Process on Hiring Process(00:12:49) - Interviewing the Right People(00:22:23) - One more message about talent acquisition(00:26:18) - A message for recruiters and talent acquisition professionals

Tristram Gray, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer at Kmart Group in Australia, explains how the retail giant is revolutionizing high-volume hiring with AI. Managing 55,000 employees across 450 stores, Kmart recruits 12,000 people annually while processing hundreds of thousands of applications. Tristram shares how the company uses Sapia.ai to create a mobile-first, simulation-based AI assessment process that evaluates candidates on culture, values, and behaviors rather than traditional resumes, previous experience, or technical skills. The results are remarkable: 73% reduction in time-to-hire (from 44 days to 11 days), 2.5 times longer retention, enhanced diversity, significant cost savings, and 9 out of 10 candidate satisfaction – which translates to a better brand and customer perception of the retail company. Tristram discusses the importance of providing personalized feedback to every candidate, the transformation of recruiter roles from reactive hiring to proactive talent planning, the need for change agility with operations and HR, and his philosophy that AI, when used ethically and responsibly, can create deeply human impact. This conversation offers powerful insights for anyone navigating the introduction of AI in HR. Additional Information Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting New Galileo Certificate Program: Elevating Talent Acquisition with AI Chapters (00:00:03) - What Works: Kmart's AI Hiring Strategy(00:01:04) - Kmart's Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer on the challenges of(00:05:44) - What Makes a Good Fit for Your Company?(00:13:57) - Australia's diversity program(00:14:52) - The Return on Recruitment by 2020(00:17:11) - How did the role of the recruiters change(00:19:01) - The Professional Roles of Distribution Centers(00:19:56) - In the Elevator With AI Recruitment(00:21:22) - What Works in Your Hiring Process

Today I discuss the leadership theme of Arrogance vs. Humility. It’s a big topic and covers many parts of a company’s cycle of growth and variations in styles of leadership. Without judgement, I wanted to discuss the topic in this era of massive AI investment, huge bets on the future, and many ongoing layoffs. There are good reasons for arrogance and it also has its problems, so I decided to share my thoughts. I also discuss our upcoming 2026 Imperatives research coming in January and give you some insights on the new features in Galileo to help transform the way we assess, coach, and develop our leaders. (And we’re all leaders now.) Additional Information Palantir CEO Alex Karp Interview w/NYT Andrew Sorkin Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Interview w/NYT Andrew Sorkin Gavin Newsom California Governor Interview w/NYT Andrew Sorkin       Chapters (00:00:00) - Arrogance vs Humility(00:00:58) - Does Arrogance Affect Our National Security Strategy?(00:05:09) - Is It Bad to Be Arrogant?(00:05:56) - In the Elevator With Science and Business(00:07:09) - Arrogance vs Humble Investment in AI(00:13:24) - Leadership in the AI world(00:17:12) - The Future of Strategic Imperatives with Galileo(00:18:27) - Arrogance and the Future of HR(00:24:11) - How to Win as a Chief Executive Chro(00:26:02) - A Year of Disruption in the Workplace