Shredded: Intermezzo, Meta, Oracle, LinkedIn, BoomerangHR, Glassdoor, Workday, & More

Chad Sowash (0:00)

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.

Joel Cheesman (0:17)

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.

Chad Sowash (0:29)

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

Joel Cheesman (0:37)

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.

Chad Sowash (0:53)

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

Joel Cheesman (1:05)

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

Chad Sowash (1:11)

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

Joel Cheesman (1:19)

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

Chad Sowash (1:25)

Now we return you to our regular scheduled program, In Progress.

Joel Cheesman (1:29)

Hide your kids, lock the doors. You're listening to HR's most dangerous podcast, Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman.

Cole Cheesman (1:38)

Hi kids, it's Cole Cheesman and I'm bringing you The Shred for the third week of September 2026 The Shred is a weekly roundup of what's making headlines in the world of employment.

And now to the news in no particular order. Intermezzo, a Menlo Park, California based global payroll infrastructure company raised $10 million in funding from investors, including Crosslink Capital and UKG Ventures. The capital will be used to expand operations and grow the business reach of its platform. Meta is introducing an opt-in program asking select individual contributors in its applied AI division to return to management roles. This particularly reverses Meta's recent effort to flatten organizational layers, trim middle management, and create leaner teams, following a major restructuring earlier this year.

Chad Sowash (2:36)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (2:38)

Austin, Texas-based Oracle expanded its 2026 restructuring plan by $700 million, raising the total estimated cost to $2.8 billion. Driven by mounting AI data center capital expenditures, the increased job cuts and exit fees follow a 13% workforce reduction linked to AI deployment.

Chad Sowash (2:59)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (3:01)

A US federal judge dismissed two class action lawsuits against LinkedIn regarding its scanning of users' browser extensions. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish legal standing by not alleging any concrete personal privacy violations or private data exposure.

Chad Sowash (3:19)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (3:22)

According to a proposed class action lawsuit filed September 14, 2026, LinkedIn was sued for alleged market monopolization. Plaintiffs claimed the company forced customers to upgrade to higher tier subscriptions such as Sales Navigator Advanced Plus to retain previously included features, reducing purchase value and limiting alternative choices.

Chad Sowash (3:45)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (3:47)

LinkedIn is expanding its AI tool, Hiring Assistant beyond sourcing into candidate pre-screening, interview analysis and recruiter guidance. While recruiters retain final hiring decisions, the expanded AI capabilities significantly narrow candidate pools and shape the evaluation criteria used throughout the selection process.

Chad Sowash (4:07)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:09)

BoomerangHR, a New York-based AI offboarding and alumni management platform led by founder and CEO Jeff Wald, raised $12.7 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Kalos Ventures and Album Ventures, with funds targeted for operational expansion and product development.

Chad Sowash (4:29)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:30)

A new Glassdoor report reveals that 76% of millennials question their career paths, facing higher rates of burnout, layoff concerns and job insecurity than other generations. Consequently, many are delaying major life milestones and pursuing additional skills, such as AI training to improve job stability.

Chad Sowash (4:50)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:51)

On September 10th, 2026, Workday appointed Sarah Kennedy Ellis as Chief Marketing Officer, effective October 5th, 2026

Reporting to CEO Anil Bhusri, she will oversee global marketing and communications. Kennedy Ellis previously held marketing leadership roles at Google Cloud, Adobe and Marketo.

Chad Sowash (5:11)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (5:13)

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Mark Takano introduced the 32-hour work week act, which would gradually reduce the federal overtime threshold from 40 to 32 hours over four years while protecting worker pay. However, passage remains unlikely under current Republican control of Congress.