Shredded: Juicebox, Fetcher, McKinsey, Rippling, Humanly, CareerArc, & More

SPEAKER_1 (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.

SPEAKER_2 (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.

SPEAKER_1 (0:29)

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

SPEAKER_2 (0:37)

I really dig that Smart Recruiter's 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.

SPEAKER_1 (0:53)

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

SPEAKER_2 (1:05)

With Smart Recruiter's, Winston does the grind and the recruiters get the glory.

SPEAKER_1 (1:11)

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

SPEAKER_2 (1:19)

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

SPEAKER_1 (1:25)

Now we return you to our regular scheduled program in progress.

SPEAKER_2 (1:29)

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

Joel Cheesman (1:38)

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

And now to the news, no particular order. San Francisco-based Juicebox has agreed to acquire intellectual property and other assets from New York-based recruiting platform Fetcher. As Fetcher winds down operations, its customers can transition to Juicebox's AI recruiting platform, which pairs specialized AI agents with dedicated support to help companies engage candidates.

SPEAKER_1 (2:13)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (2:14)

The US. Department of Labor suspended Microsoft, Adobe and several tech firms from the permanent labor certification program amid federal investigations into foreign labor practices. Officials cited American job protection, while Microsoft defended its compliance and noted most of its employees are US citizens.

SPEAKER_1 (2:33)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (2:35)

McKinsey removed senior partner Chris Bradley from his leadership role following online posts where he dismissed the glass cliff phenomenon, the theory that female executives are more likely appointed to head struggling companies, stating his comments fell short of firm standards.

SPEAKER_1 (2:50)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (2:52)

Rippling expanded its New York City presence by opening a 132, 693,000 square foot office at 330 West 34th Street. The facility accommodates over a thousand employees to support the company's AI-powered workforce management platform, product development and ongoing global growth.

SPEAKER_1 (3:10)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (3:12)

Despite a low overall unemployment rate, US workers face a sluggish hiring market, taking longer to secure new positions. Consequently, many individuals are exhausting their unemployment benefits before finding work, creating significant financial and emotional strain for households.

SPEAKER_1 (3:27)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (3:28)

Seattle-based hiring tech company Humanly acquired Burbank California-based recruitment marketing platform CareerArc to combine AI screening and interview tools with social media recruiting and career site mapping systems. The deal aims to help high-volume employers better connect recruitment marketing with automated candidate engagement.

SPEAKER_1 (3:48)

Another one.

Joel Cheesman (3:49)

In September, the US consumer price index rose 0.6% monthly and 3.7% annually, driven largely by a 9.1% jump in gasoline prices. Core inflation reached 2.6% year over year. These elevated figures increased expectations for further Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Be sure to tune in to the weekly show for this and more news and commentary from the world of recruiting. Cheesman out.

Adios, turd nuggets.