AI, Ethics, and Automation: Top Stories Shaping Workforces and Workplace Trends in 2024

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[00:00:22] Deal has helped over 35,000 businesses simplify global hiring, onboarding, payroll, and compliance. Visit Deal.com to learn more. That's D-E-E-L dot com.

[00:00:45] What is going on, PPM Tink up here with The BARF? This is the look back at the week that was so you could be prepared for the week that is. William, what is going on?

[00:00:55] Man, I am here and I'm loving it. BARF, for those that don't know, stands for Breaking News, Acquisitions, Research, and Funding. Ryan came up with the name. So if you hate it, send him the emails.

[00:01:09] Don't send me the emails. Send Ryan. In fact, Ryan's email is ryanatworkdefined.com.

[00:01:16] Thanks, thanks. With an O, with an O. No O.

[00:01:18] No O. No O.

[00:01:20] What I need to figure out is how do I get this office to be above 53 degrees? It's been at 53 degrees all day.

[00:01:29] Even with your heater?

[00:01:31] Well, it goes to 54, and then it comes back down. Then it goes back up, and it comes back down.

[00:01:36] Do you have it set at 53 degrees?

[00:01:37] No, it's set at 72.

[00:01:40] Wow.

[00:01:41] Yeah, it's cold in this thing. Yeah.

[00:01:43] Well, don't you still have a broken window? Do you still have a broken window?

[00:01:47] That's outside the office, though. Yeah. But it's still coming in.

[00:01:51] But still in the basement, correct? Yeah.

[00:01:54] So you could hang up over on one side of your basement. You could just string up some beef.

[00:02:00] It'd be cold enough, right?

[00:02:02] Like a cow or something would come in and eat it. Yeah, but it would freeze. It probably would freeze, yeah.

[00:02:06] Oh, okay.

[00:02:06] So if you know where I live, you can come into my basement because then you know it's out.

[00:02:11] So anyhow.

[00:02:13] All right.

[00:02:14] Well, let's get into this. What do we got?

[00:02:15] Yeah. Yeah.

[00:02:16] It's 2024.

[00:02:17] Business community is stuck in the 90s when it's presenting how it thinks about work.

[00:02:24] Stuck on a PowerPoint deck in particular.

[00:02:27] It's an article from Business Insider, so go and read it because it's fantastic.

[00:02:32] I agree with basically everything it says.

[00:02:34] The two things that you should know, Ryan, is if using PowerPoint or some other tech, presentations are shorter.

[00:02:43] So one of the things the article got to is like, okay, the 30-minute presentation, the 15-minute presentation, get it down to three slides.

[00:02:51] If you're going to use that type of tech.

[00:02:54] Just get it there faster because of the attention span, so they go into all of that stuff, which is great.

[00:02:59] And two, folks that are using those tools are using AI in parts, if not all, for the design part, but also to make sure that the copy resonates.

[00:03:14] So I know you use ChatGPT.

[00:03:17] You use ChatGPT a lot.

[00:03:19] So it's like they're building their regular PowerPoint, and then they're going back with design and making it better.

[00:03:25] But then they're looking at copy and saying, okay, I said this.

[00:03:30] It's for the CEO.

[00:03:33] What should I say or whatever the audience is?

[00:03:35] And it fixes it.

[00:03:36] And it makes it for that audience.

[00:03:39] I like that.

[00:03:40] What do you think?

[00:03:41] Gemini – so today, actually, I logged in, and Gemini popped up and said, create whatever it was, like Drive or something like that.

[00:03:52] And it gave me the option to say, pick a file out of your drive.

[00:03:57] We'll create the slide deck for it.

[00:04:01] And then tell me who it's for, what it's about, who the person, what the – similar thing.

[00:04:07] So I did it.

[00:04:08] It sucked.

[00:04:09] It was really bad.

[00:04:10] It just was not good for me.

[00:04:13] But it will get better.

[00:04:14] It will get better.

[00:04:15] There are other tools out there I've seen that are really good.

[00:04:20] Gemini, no bad.

[00:04:21] Not yet.

[00:04:21] No.

[00:04:22] Just run.

[00:04:22] Totally.

[00:04:23] You're doing it with a newborn.

[00:04:25] Yeah.

[00:04:25] Turns out it doesn't run.

[00:04:27] Yeah.

[00:04:27] No.

[00:04:28] I definitely didn't like the Gemini one.

[00:04:31] So I never sent it to you, but maybe I will.

[00:04:33] My end of quarter report, maybe we'll see.

[00:04:37] All right.

[00:04:38] I got one for you.

[00:04:40] Not as fun.

[00:04:41] Not as fun as PowerPoint.

[00:04:45] Wireless World is settling for $107,000,

[00:04:49] which is really nothing for this story,

[00:04:54] to settle allegations that it allowed a manager to sexually harass a teen employee.

[00:05:01] Now, not just harass.

[00:05:04] So listen to this story.

[00:05:05] So Elite Wireless allowed a sales manager in his 30s to sexually harass a teenage employee.

[00:05:12] The team worker reported daily sexual harassment by her supervisor to her district sales manager,

[00:05:19] who responded by laughing it off.

[00:05:23] This is what her allegations are.

[00:05:26] After the same supervisor allegedly assaulted the worker himself following a holiday party,

[00:05:34] she filed a report.

[00:05:36] Either that or just being an asshole.

[00:05:38] She filed a police report and contacted Elite's CEO.

[00:05:44] This is according to the EEOC.

[00:05:46] Now, the company responded by transferring the teen to a different location 45 miles from her home.

[00:05:54] Yeah.

[00:05:54] Thanks.

[00:05:55] 45 miles.

[00:05:56] Thanks for making it more difficult for me by being harassed by this.

[00:06:00] So long story short, she was eventually fired for repeat absences and tardiness.

[00:06:07] Yeah.

[00:06:07] Turns out.

[00:06:08] Yeah.

[00:06:09] I mean, I know you got some thoughts on this for sure.

[00:06:14] Yeah.

[00:06:15] I mean, first of all, there should be a special place in hell.

[00:06:19] Yeah.

[00:06:19] For people that sexually harass in 2024 and beyond.

[00:06:23] Now, not to be a hypocrite,

[00:06:28] when I was a manager in the 80s for Walmart and Albertsons,

[00:06:32] I had relations, Bill Clinton,

[00:06:34] I had relations with many of my employees.

[00:06:39] So, you know, I was 16, 17 years old at the time.

[00:06:43] I didn't have training.

[00:06:44] I didn't know any better.

[00:06:46] And, oh, by the way, the internet wasn't readily available or cameras weren't in everybody's pocket.

[00:06:52] I guess my point is, is when I read stories like this, a little part of me kind of dies and so on.

[00:07:00] Because I've made these mistakes.

[00:07:03] But I've grown up since then.

[00:07:05] And I hope the world has also grown up.

[00:07:08] Evidently, this guy didn't get the memo.

[00:07:11] But I think it's just, it's one of those deals that, you know, it's like there's a period.

[00:07:21] I actually did this bit once on stage and talked about rape.

[00:07:27] And rape is not rape continuously throughout history.

[00:07:33] So if you go back in time, rape was different.

[00:07:37] I mean, the act of rape, no, that's the same.

[00:07:40] But the way society has looked at rape has continually changed and gotten better.

[00:07:48] In the sense of when the Vikings raped, it was just a part of pillage and plunder.

[00:07:53] It was a part of the winnings.

[00:07:56] You went to a place.

[00:07:58] You conquered the people.

[00:08:00] You got their stuff, their land, etc.

[00:08:03] You got their women.

[00:08:04] And you got the rape.

[00:08:06] No one looked back then.

[00:08:09] No one looked down on it.

[00:08:10] That was just common practice.

[00:08:12] Today, rape is fucking horrible.

[00:08:16] And people that rape, again, special place in fucking hell for those that rape.

[00:08:22] In the end, teens entering the workforce because she was young.

[00:08:29] Teens entering the workforce need more than a paycheck.

[00:08:32] They need protection.

[00:08:33] And that's what it comes down to.

[00:08:35] 100%.

[00:08:36] So this is, I will agree.

[00:08:41] It's a very low number on the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which he plans to raise in office.

[00:08:50] These are all direct quotes, NBC News.

[00:08:54] Now, I think he'll actually do it.

[00:08:56] So here's my take on this.

[00:08:58] So $7.25, first of all, how do you live on that?

[00:09:02] You can't live on that.

[00:09:02] You can't live on that.

[00:09:03] You can't buy McDonald's on that.

[00:09:06] But, I mean, first of all, Republicans in general have always fought raising the minimum wage because they want the market to settle those things out.

[00:09:16] But I think he'll do it.

[00:09:19] The reason I think he'll do it is he'll be a lame duck president.

[00:09:23] So he'll, as if before he didn't, he'll have zero fucks to give.

[00:09:29] And it will piss off the business community for sure, especially small-dominated business owners.

[00:09:35] But morally and ethically, it's the right thing to do.

[00:09:41] Raise it to $10.

[00:09:42] Make it a substantial raise.

[00:09:45] It still isn't enough money.

[00:09:48] We need to get $15 to $20 at some point.

[00:09:51] Yeah.

[00:09:52] Is it fine?

[00:09:53] I think he'll do it.

[00:09:55] Absolutely.

[00:09:56] He should do it.

[00:09:56] I think if he was a first-time president, he'd say this and then never get around to it.

[00:10:00] I think he's actually going to do it.

[00:10:04] Because, A, he can.

[00:10:06] No one can stop him.

[00:10:07] No one's going to stop him.

[00:10:09] And I would never have thought that you'd put the words Trump and morally and ethical all kind of in the same sentence.

[00:10:17] However, I think he'll do it, bud.

[00:10:19] Well, look.

[00:10:21] People need and deserve to be able to buy a cheeseburger.

[00:10:26] Right.

[00:10:26] I mean, our local place we do trivia at on Wednesday nights, and people are going to listen to us and laugh.

[00:10:32] There's a roast beef sandwich.

[00:10:34] It used to be $12, $13, $13.

[00:10:36] It's $19.

[00:10:37] It's almost $20.

[00:10:38] Yeah.

[00:10:39] I don't buy that.

[00:10:40] It better be a damn good roast beef sandwich.

[00:10:42] It's good, but it ain't that good.

[00:10:45] It's just all the costs have gone up.

[00:10:47] Everything's gone up.

[00:10:48] Costs.

[00:10:49] I mean, we just...

[00:10:49] That's Robin.

[00:10:52] You know, we talked about, like, okay, if you raise the cost, is it just going to be passed on to consumers?

[00:10:57] Well, sure.

[00:10:57] Yes.

[00:10:58] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:10:59] But...

[00:10:59] All right.

[00:11:00] Got a quick one here.

[00:11:03] Workers are penalized for ignoring AI advice even when their decisions are correct.

[00:11:12] So...

[00:11:14] So first of all, you say penalized.

[00:11:16] It's not penalized.

[00:11:17] Penalized.

[00:11:18] How do you say it?

[00:11:19] Penalized.

[00:11:20] Penalized.

[00:11:21] Huh.

[00:11:22] You emphasize the penal.

[00:11:24] It's not deers.

[00:11:26] It's deers.

[00:11:28] Dicies.

[00:11:29] Dicies.

[00:11:30] I rolled the dicies.

[00:11:31] I rolled the dicies.

[00:11:32] Penalized.

[00:11:32] That's right.

[00:11:33] You should.

[00:11:33] Yeah.

[00:11:34] All right.

[00:11:34] Anyway.

[00:11:34] So when a company is using AI for decision-making or anything, what's happened now?

[00:11:42] It didn't list specific companies.

[00:11:44] Yeah.

[00:11:44] And it did not list specific people.

[00:11:46] It was very broad.

[00:11:48] So I'm going to assume it's true.

[00:11:50] It was written by...

[00:11:52] It was on TechRadar or something like that.

[00:11:55] So a credible source.

[00:11:57] Anyhow, when a company is leveraging a software that has AI in it, that's providing decision-making data or decision-making, say, authority, but it's leading you in the direction of making a decision.

[00:12:14] And you want to go the opposite way.

[00:12:17] Management is coming down on those employees for not going with the suggestion of the AI, which, okay, for the most part, I'm probably...

[00:12:27] I'm on the side of the fence that says it's probably right at this point.

[00:12:33] Like, I'm comfortable with saying that for most things.

[00:12:35] Ish.

[00:12:36] But I don't...

[00:12:37] Ish, yeah.

[00:12:37] But I don't think you...

[00:12:38] It's about as right as humans are.

[00:12:40] No.

[00:12:40] Not...

[00:12:41] Yeah.

[00:12:42] Well, think of it this way.

[00:12:44] Depends on the humans you're talking about.

[00:12:45] Oh, yeah.

[00:12:46] Think of it this way.

[00:12:47] The first time you used Google Maps, did you trust it?

[00:12:54] Ah, yeah.

[00:12:55] Yeah.

[00:12:55] You did.

[00:12:55] Because once I got off the paper, the paper printouts...

[00:12:59] The first time.

[00:12:59] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:13:00] Yahoo Maps.

[00:13:01] Yeah.

[00:13:02] Yeah.

[00:13:02] Because it wasn't the first time.

[00:13:03] Well, it was the first time digitally, right?

[00:13:06] Right.

[00:13:06] But it was...

[00:13:07] We were used to following those very same directions on paper.

[00:13:11] So we had a little...

[00:13:12] So we went from paper and...

[00:13:13] But the thing is, is for me, it comes down to trust.

[00:13:16] Yeah.

[00:13:16] And for me and my experience with Google Maps is with traffic.

[00:13:21] Traffic.

[00:13:22] Do I trust the traffic?

[00:13:24] So it says, okay, you'll get there in 15 minutes.

[00:13:26] And oh, by the way, there's this red.

[00:13:28] Okay.

[00:13:29] And it took me a while to trust that they got the traffic right.

[00:13:34] Not the route.

[00:13:34] I trust it immediately.

[00:13:36] Now...

[00:13:37] Yeah.

[00:13:37] Dude.

[00:13:37] Are you kidding me?

[00:13:38] I make...

[00:13:39] Because Dallas is a bunch of concentric circles.

[00:13:43] So you can get from one place to another like 25 different ways.

[00:13:48] Take a decision off my plate, I'm listening.

[00:13:50] 100%.

[00:13:51] That's exactly it.

[00:13:53] I think it's funny.

[00:13:55] I think it's human nature as an employee to compete with.

[00:13:59] Yes.

[00:14:00] And prove it wrong.

[00:14:01] Right.

[00:14:01] I think that's it.

[00:14:02] I think we're in that stage now.

[00:14:04] Trust.

[00:14:04] Trust.

[00:14:04] My value is better than this machine.

[00:14:07] Yes.

[00:14:07] And I'm going to show you that I can double check this thing.

[00:14:09] But anyway, that's the story.

[00:14:11] So Ryan, let me pitch you this story.

[00:14:13] Amazon, a company we both love, plans to employ 2,500 workers at its new Shreveport, Louisiana warehouse.

[00:14:24] Despite it being the most automated warehouse that they have.

[00:14:30] This is according to the Wall Street Journal.

[00:14:32] Okay, so this is a feel-good story, right?

[00:14:35] Sounds like it.

[00:14:35] So the robots aren't taking over.

[00:14:38] Feel good.

[00:14:40] But the subtext says something different.

[00:14:44] They'll use the AI.

[00:14:46] They'll use AI, the AI, like the internet.

[00:14:50] They'll use AI to learn from the 2,500 employees what they do and don't.

[00:14:57] And then the employees go.

[00:14:59] And then AI will replace many of them, not all.

[00:15:04] So think of this feel-good story and these 2,500 employees in Shreveport, Louisiana and probably East Texas too as lab rats because that's what they are.

[00:15:17] They're going to be lab rats.

[00:15:20] They, you know.

[00:15:22] Now, the training is going to take a while.

[00:15:25] Got it.

[00:15:26] So how does this differ from a 10-year veteran quarterback in the NFL?

[00:15:33] Like, giving the money is very different.

[00:15:35] Get that.

[00:15:35] Yeah, yeah.

[00:15:36] Training their replacement.

[00:15:38] Their backup.

[00:15:39] You don't train your backup.

[00:15:40] No, but they are, right?

[00:15:42] They're coaching them along.

[00:15:43] They're helping them.

[00:15:44] And they know they're being replaced at some point.

[00:15:47] This is the same thing.

[00:15:48] I don't think any of the greatest quarterbacks ever have done that.

[00:15:52] Oh, I think they have.

[00:15:53] They have just by being on the field.

[00:15:54] You think Tom Brady was working with his backups?

[00:15:57] Yeah, just for being on the field, yeah.

[00:16:00] Just by being on the field.

[00:16:02] But point is, this is the time where the employees can go learn new skills.

[00:16:07] Oh, yeah.

[00:16:08] They have an opportunity here.

[00:16:09] Yeah, I'm happy for them.

[00:16:11] First of all, I'm happy for the jobs.

[00:16:12] That area of Louisiana, it bumps up right.

[00:16:16] It's literally 15 minutes from the border of Texas.

[00:16:19] And so it's actually going to have some Texans in there as well.

[00:16:23] I'm happy for them.

[00:16:24] But I also know with a highly automated warehouse that they're still going to have jobs and people are going to get paid and be able to do stuff.

[00:16:37] Like all that shit is great.

[00:16:38] Yeah.

[00:16:39] But there will be a time when AI has learned enough from them to then either automate more or replace them entirely.

[00:16:48] Yeah, and I don't know what the numbers are on this.

[00:16:52] But, you know, how many – what's the percentage of employees in a Ford plant, for example, or a Chevy plant to machines, right?

[00:17:01] They've all been coming down, yeah, through the years.

[00:17:02] Right.

[00:17:03] Well, we start with 2,500.

[00:17:04] Okay, maybe we lose 10%, 15%, 20%.

[00:17:07] Not that that's a great thing, but there will be other opportunities.

[00:17:11] There's still going to be people in the factory to do the job.

[00:17:14] Yeah, yeah, of course, as they should.

[00:17:16] To do the job.

[00:17:16] Have you ever seen a video of Ford, like the early manufacturing days of like the Model T?

[00:17:22] Yeah.

[00:17:22] Yeah, I've seen them.

[00:17:23] There was like – because they were all custom built.

[00:17:26] Yeah.

[00:17:27] There was like 50 guys.

[00:17:29] Yeah.

[00:17:29] And they were throwing in.

[00:17:31] And everybody's doing one bit.

[00:17:32] It's like, okay, I'm going to put the muffler on.

[00:17:35] I'm the muffler guy.

[00:17:36] And guess what?

[00:17:36] They all survived.

[00:17:38] Oh, yeah.

[00:17:39] Oh, yeah.

[00:17:39] They all survived.

[00:17:40] Yeah.

[00:17:41] Okay.

[00:17:43] Is in the news for two reasons.

[00:17:45] Two reasons.

[00:17:45] Isn't it just called Phenom now?

[00:17:48] Phenom.

[00:17:49] Yeah, you're right.

[00:17:49] It is Phenom.

[00:17:50] I hate that.

[00:17:51] Sorry to break it.

[00:17:52] We're going to go with Phenom.

[00:17:53] Break your flow.

[00:17:54] So earlier this week, I was having lunch with someone, and she used to work at Phenom.

[00:18:01] And we got into a conversation around a bunch of stuff, and the couple just super interesting.

[00:18:05] I got to tell you off air.

[00:18:06] I can't tell you here.

[00:18:07] Yeah.

[00:18:08] Super cool.

[00:18:09] But now they're in the news, so I'm going to bring them up.

[00:18:11] So they are expanding in India, which makes sense.

[00:18:16] They've got teams in India and about 1,000 people.

[00:18:19] So over the next two years, they are going to be expanding 1,000 people in India.

[00:18:25] So this expansion follows their recent acquisition of a company called Tidy, which we went over a while back now.

[00:18:35] But Tidy, for those that don't know, is a company that specializes in pre-boarding and onboarding.

[00:18:41] Smart.

[00:18:41] Boarding.

[00:18:42] Smart.

[00:18:43] Yeah.

[00:18:43] So make perfect sense for Phenom.

[00:18:47] Anyhow, they've got development centers in Bangalore.

[00:18:54] Yep.

[00:18:55] Right?

[00:18:56] And Phenom currently operates centers in Hyderabad and Vizag.

[00:19:00] So they've got 850 and 250 in each of those areas, respectively.

[00:19:05] So another 1,000 plus.

[00:19:07] So they're expanding out there, and they're doing their thing.

[00:19:10] I keep forgetting how big they are.

[00:19:12] They're huge.

[00:19:13] I keep forgetting that.

[00:19:14] Yeah.

[00:19:14] No, they're huge.

[00:19:17] You know, their founder and CEO, whom we both know, Mahi, he's Indian.

[00:19:22] So, you know, if it's an American company with a bunch of white dudes and then they expand into India, I'm always nervous initially.

[00:19:31] I'm always nervous about that.

[00:19:32] But because he's Indian and because he acquired an Indian company, yeah, this tracks.

[00:19:39] Like it's just a good idea.

[00:19:41] I just, every time I see something about these guys, I mean, one, you hear stories, right, about, you know, good and bad.

[00:19:49] But when I look into their company and I talk, I'm like, I keep forgetting they've got thousands of people here.

[00:19:55] They do.

[00:19:56] They do.

[00:19:56] Like it's a big, significant company.

[00:19:59] Congrats.

[00:20:00] All right.

[00:20:01] Let me pitch this to someone to you, Ryan.

[00:20:02] U.S. workers have increased their productivity in recent years compared to their peers in Canada and the European Union, according to the Wall Street Journal.

[00:20:13] So this tracks for me because we allowed slavery, African slavery, far longer than those two groups as well.

[00:20:25] So we have a relationship with productivity that's dysfunctional.

[00:20:31] There is a causal relationship between productivity and mental health.

[00:20:39] I don't have any data to prove that at all.

[00:20:44] In fact, I'm not even going to look it up.

[00:20:45] I don't even know where this is going.

[00:20:47] I'm just letting you talk here.

[00:20:48] But people will work harder if they have no other options and if you whip them hard enough.

[00:20:56] But the moment that they can escape, they will.

[00:21:01] And in droves.

[00:21:03] So when you see something like productivity, like, oh, man, we're kicking ass in productivity,

[00:21:09] just understand that there's an expense to that.

[00:21:13] And whether or not that's happiness or wellness or mental health, there's an expense to productivity.

[00:21:21] So I think the thing is, you know, productivity is cool.

[00:21:26] Like, why do we have to be first in that category?

[00:21:30] Why do we have to be better than Canada or the European Union, for that matter, in productivity?

[00:21:35] We don't.

[00:21:37] It's an artificial thing that kind of comes up through the American society, the American dream,

[00:21:43] and just outwork everyone else, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

[00:21:47] So, you know.

[00:21:49] I'm not sure how you made that correlation.

[00:21:51] Yeah.

[00:21:52] Well, no.

[00:21:54] That's one of the promises coming in through Ellis Island, the American dream.

[00:21:58] All you got to do is outwork.

[00:21:59] When immigrants come to this country, historically and today,

[00:22:04] if you just outwork everyone else, you'll be fine.

[00:22:08] That's the American dream.

[00:22:09] All right.

[00:22:10] I got some acquisitions.

[00:22:11] You want to hear one?

[00:22:12] I do.

[00:22:13] I'm waiting.

[00:22:14] Sure.

[00:22:14] This is, like, fantastic acquisition.

[00:22:16] Bring it.

[00:22:17] All right.

[00:22:18] Axios HQ acquires Mix & Board.

[00:22:20] Have you heard of Mix & Board before?

[00:22:22] Not that WikiWiki?

[00:22:23] Heard the name, but not used it.

[00:22:26] Yeah.

[00:22:26] We're not talking about the WikiWiki DJ Mix & Boards.

[00:22:29] Right, right, right.

[00:22:29] However, Mix & Board helps companies with their ability to communicate smarter

[00:22:36] and find talent around strategic priorities.

[00:22:41] It sounds fancy.

[00:22:42] It does sound fancy.

[00:22:43] They have a lot of top-tier talent,

[00:22:45] and what they do is allow you to leverage their talent community.

[00:22:52] It actually says talent community, I believe, on their page,

[00:22:55] around communications professionals.

[00:22:56] And so they have a variety of ways to work with them,

[00:23:01] one of them of which is placement fee and then actual fees for permanent placement.

[00:23:09] So not just project fees of, like, $5,000 or something like that.

[00:23:12] I think it's, like, $5,000 to access their database,

[00:23:14] and then it's, like, a $20,000 to $30,000 fee for the placement,

[00:23:19] which is pretty cool.

[00:23:20] Yeah.

[00:23:20] So I think this is a good play.

[00:23:23] I think this broadens Axios HQ's reach into HR and leadership teams

[00:23:30] that are looking for ways to communicate better,

[00:23:35] but then also those that need the experts, air quote, experts on hand

[00:23:41] to actually do the work and even just consult with them.

[00:23:44] Well, the pandemic proved to all of us that communications is critical.

[00:23:49] Yeah.

[00:23:49] So if you didn't love comms before, we all fell in love with comms during the pandemic.

[00:23:57] So it's just a great way.

[00:24:00] I like kind of having a SaaS fee and then a placement fee.

[00:24:04] Yeah.

[00:24:05] I like all of that.

[00:24:07] I like having a dedicated community because then you can put content around it.

[00:24:11] Like, there's nothing about this that I don't like.

[00:24:14] Yeah.

[00:24:14] Yeah, no, I'm interested to see what this goes.

[00:24:16] I've seen mixing board out there, but I've never got into it.

[00:24:19] And so when I saw it, I was like, oh, let's go actually read on it and learn something.

[00:24:24] And I did.

[00:24:24] I learned.

[00:24:25] So there you go.

[00:24:27] So, Ryan, let me tell you about an acquisition of Joined, that's J-O-Y-N-D,

[00:24:33] and the Cloud Connectors.

[00:24:34] The Cloud Connectors.

[00:24:35] So they announced their merger,

[00:24:38] combining two industry kind of leaders in the integration space,

[00:24:43] work tech integrations in particular.

[00:24:45] So my finance professor, Sam Thomas, at Case,

[00:24:51] he told me there's no such thing,

[00:24:53] they're talking about M&A.

[00:24:55] He said, big M, small, or little M, small A.

[00:25:01] There is no such thing as a merger.

[00:25:03] At one point, you're using one accounting system.

[00:25:08] Right.

[00:25:09] At one point, you're using one ATS.

[00:25:11] At one point, you're using one CEO.

[00:25:13] So at one point, it's an acquisition.

[00:25:16] It might be kind of Frankenstein together.

[00:25:18] So every time I see the word merger, I think of Sam.

[00:25:21] And wonderful professor.

[00:25:23] Well, there you go.

[00:25:24] So joined, J-O-Y-N-D dot I-O.

[00:25:27] You can read the press release.

[00:25:29] So if you don't know these folks, you should.

[00:25:32] Because they're actually, both companies are really, really cool people.

[00:25:36] Yeah.

[00:25:36] Cloud Connectors are known as work tech integration consulting experts.

[00:25:44] Like the best in the world.

[00:25:46] This is what they do, is they pull your HR tech stack,

[00:25:49] and they make it work.

[00:25:51] And they started in consulting.

[00:25:53] Yeah, okay.

[00:25:55] Joined, who's run by a friend of mine,

[00:25:59] is work tech integration.

[00:26:02] It's the technology of putting those libraries together.

[00:26:06] So if you're familiar with MuleSoft, which is a publicly traded company,

[00:26:10] they do it for all software, all enterprise software.

[00:26:14] This is just kind of work tech.

[00:26:16] So they're pulling kind of the consulting piece and the tech piece together.

[00:26:21] And it is a great kind of pull together of these two folks that probably done a lot of work together.

[00:26:30] And it just made sense for them to merge.

[00:26:32] So congratulations to both of them.

[00:26:34] Cloud Connectors.

[00:26:35] They're, they've been around.

[00:26:37] Yeah.

[00:26:38] You love them.

[00:26:40] I do.

[00:26:40] You work with them.

[00:26:41] Yeah.

[00:26:42] They've been around a bit.

[00:26:43] And I think over the last couple of years, they've really built a name for themselves.

[00:26:48] Right.

[00:26:48] They went from like, oh, what's this cloud connectors?

[00:26:50] They're like being the standard.

[00:26:52] Oh, yeah.

[00:26:53] Oh, yeah.

[00:26:53] They're great at what they do.

[00:26:55] And again, everybody kind of needs it.

[00:26:57] Yeah.

[00:26:57] Whether or not you're talking about comp and payroll and benefits and this, that and the other.

[00:27:01] It's like someone needs to come through there and clean, clean all that stuff up and make sure it talks together.

[00:27:08] And not many people know how to do that.

[00:27:10] Oh, properly.

[00:27:12] Yes.

[00:27:13] Yeah.

[00:27:13] It's, it's a tech.

[00:27:15] It's a, we've, historically, we've tried to solve it with consulting.

[00:27:20] Right.

[00:27:21] And, and there is a bit of consulting, especially the, the, the mapping of data.

[00:27:26] But it's tech.

[00:27:27] You've got to get the tech to talk to one another in it, as it applies to right now at this point in history.

[00:27:34] If you want to make data-driven decisions, which everyone should say yes to, then you've got to have all that data talking to each other.

[00:27:42] So, Ryan, let me tell you a little, evidently, that's actually the name of the company.

[00:27:46] I just wanted to do a dramatic pause.

[00:27:50] Comma.

[00:27:51] Comma.

[00:27:52] A pioneering AI platform transforming healthcare workflows raised $15 million.

[00:27:59] So, financialnews.co.uk.

[00:28:02] So, you can go read about it.

[00:28:03] It's pretty much everywhere.

[00:28:04] I love, like with Wynn, the company name.

[00:28:07] I love the company name, evidently.

[00:28:10] I just love it.

[00:28:11] So, like, stop there.

[00:28:12] Now, what I'm also getting into, it's making healthcare workflows more efficient.

[00:28:19] Now, will we see that as consumers of healthcare?

[00:28:23] Mm-hmm.

[00:28:24] Non-sequitur.

[00:28:25] I'm not advocating for shooting healthcare CEOs.

[00:28:28] However, what we tell and have told recruiters for 100 years is apply to your own job.

[00:28:35] It is a best practice.

[00:28:36] Go apply to your own jobs to see what it's like.

[00:28:39] Like, I'd like, and I'd be an advocate for all healthcare, if you are in healthcare and

[00:28:46] you're an executive, to have the exact same coverage as an average American.

[00:28:51] No special coverage.

[00:28:52] My gut, now, I don't think costs would change.

[00:28:54] However, I do believe that patient satisfaction would be improved.

[00:29:00] So, like, I don't want anybody to die.

[00:29:02] I got no interest in that stuff.

[00:29:04] But I would like for them to be a little bit closer to what everyone else goes through.

[00:29:11] Now, my person being paid $300 million, like, it is what it is.

[00:29:15] I do mind that their coverage is significantly different than ours.

[00:29:21] That's all.

[00:29:22] But anyhow, evidently.

[00:29:25] Evidently, this is a good round of funding for these guys.

[00:29:29] $15 million, baby.

[00:29:31] All right.

[00:29:33] Asterix Security raises $45 million in a Series B.

[00:29:38] So, I want to talk about these guys because a ways back, we talked about a company called

[00:29:42] Ambit.

[00:29:43] They raised $25 million in a Series A.

[00:29:47] So, Asterix is a similar company.

[00:29:51] This is non-identifying or non-human identifying.

[00:29:55] Asterix Security, so they think of these guys as, like, a bouncer at your SaaS party.

[00:30:03] Okay.

[00:30:03] The whole idea here is that they're going to keep bad actors out of your workflows.

[00:30:09] All right.

[00:30:09] So, people are constantly coming in at you, right?

[00:30:12] And these are the guys that are going to take them out and protect you from that.

[00:30:16] I love it.

[00:30:17] I love it.

[00:30:17] There's a few companies out there that, obviously, a lot, right?

[00:30:20] But there's a few that have gotten funding recently.

[00:30:23] This is the largest that I've seen in the field.

[00:30:27] So, excited for these guys.

[00:30:29] I love it.

[00:30:29] I love it because, again, it comes down to privacy and security and all the data integrity.

[00:30:34] All those things, bad actors go against all of that stuff.

[00:30:37] So, we need – it's like in hacking, there's the black hats and the white hats.

[00:30:42] Right.

[00:30:42] You need equal for that to be balanced.

[00:30:44] Sure, sure.

[00:30:45] Same thing here.

[00:30:46] And we just spoke with – was it ServiceNow and Workflows, right?

[00:30:48] Yeah.

[00:30:49] Yeah.

[00:30:49] Yeah.

[00:30:49] Same.

[00:30:50] And so, when I saw you, let's talk about this because it just all made sense to me.

[00:30:54] Good stuff.

[00:30:54] There you go.

[00:30:55] All right, Ryan.

[00:30:55] Let me talk to you about Service Engine.

[00:30:58] That's with one E.

[00:30:59] So, Service and Engine have combined the E.

[00:31:02] It's a relocation management software.

[00:31:06] They raised $3.1 million.

[00:31:09] I always – the .1 always throws me off.

[00:31:12] But it is what it is.

[00:31:13] So, this is on SAS News, thesasnews.com.

[00:31:18] So, Service Engine provides comprehensive software solutions for relocation management companies.

[00:31:26] So, this is basically infrastructure type stuff.

[00:31:28] And we don't – you know, we don't talk about relocation.

[00:31:31] And, like, you and I, I think in the thousands of conversations that we've had, I'm not sure we've ever talked about relocation.

[00:31:38] No, and there's a whole industry around here.

[00:31:40] I know.

[00:31:41] Go figure.

[00:31:42] I know.

[00:31:43] Like, something runs that.

[00:31:44] So, we should probably look into it a little bit more.

[00:31:48] Anyhow, they're using the investment to rebuild their technology from the ground up.

[00:31:54] So, good for them.

[00:31:56] And we should talk more about relocation management.

[00:31:59] Well, let's bring them on.

[00:32:00] We'll talk about it.

[00:32:01] There you go.

[00:32:01] Because it's hard to talk about.

[00:32:02] It's relocation.

[00:32:04] Move.

[00:32:06] All right.

[00:32:07] Hiring branch.

[00:32:08] I'm going to need your brainpower here to give me the U.S. conversion here.

[00:32:13] But they secured Canadian $5 million in a Series A.

[00:32:21] So, tangible skills is a goldmine for these guys.

[00:32:26] This is – I mean, this is what they do.

[00:32:28] They're solving the problem of prove it, right?

[00:32:32] The problem of prove it to me.

[00:32:34] Can you do the job you're saying that you can actually do, right?

[00:32:38] So, the funding for these guys is going to be used for market expansion, the basics, right?

[00:32:44] Upgrades, R&D, market expansion, et cetera, et cetera.

[00:32:48] Here's an example for someone who may not know what they do.

[00:32:53] So, you're hiring customer service people.

[00:32:57] Mm-hmm.

[00:32:58] And –

[00:32:59] I know they speak English.

[00:33:01] Yeah.

[00:33:02] Are you a fluent English speaker, right?

[00:33:04] Can you understand the inquiry that's coming in?

[00:33:08] Can you respond?

[00:33:10] Can you handle this, right?

[00:33:12] This is what they do.

[00:33:13] They're going to measure this.

[00:33:14] And can you address it empathetically?

[00:33:16] Can you really be a human about it, right?

[00:33:18] And not just go through a script.

[00:33:21] Right, right, right, right.

[00:33:22] And so, this is what they do across a number of –

[00:33:24] Turn off your computer.

[00:33:26] Yeah.

[00:33:27] Turn off computer.

[00:33:28] Do – no.

[00:33:29] Nice.

[00:33:29] Check the wiring.

[00:33:31] So, hiring branches, they've been around a bit, right?

[00:33:33] And so, this is –

[00:33:34] I was going to ask you.

[00:33:36] Yeah.

[00:33:36] Wasn't there a company called Hire Branch or Hiring Branch back in the day?

[00:33:41] There –

[00:33:42] That was a Facebook thing?

[00:33:44] Yes.

[00:33:44] And so, I don't know if it was Hiring Branch, but he just came up in my Facebook feed the other day.

[00:33:49] Something branch.

[00:33:51] Yeah.

[00:33:51] I'll have to go back and look.

[00:33:53] He just came up.

[00:33:54] He was on vacation or something.

[00:33:55] Yeah.

[00:33:55] He came up in my feed.

[00:33:57] I was like, oh, I remember this guy.

[00:33:58] Great guy.

[00:33:59] Great guy.

[00:34:00] At the time, I thought, what a fucking genius.

[00:34:02] Yeah.

[00:34:03] And he might be.

[00:34:04] I don't know.

[00:34:04] Like, I don't know.

[00:34:04] We should talk to him.

[00:34:05] I don't know what he's doing now.

[00:34:06] But I remember – yeah.

[00:34:07] Okay.

[00:34:08] So, I'm not the only one because when I saw that, I'm like, did they just buy the assets

[00:34:12] and like do some stuff?

[00:34:13] Yeah.

[00:34:13] Yeah.

[00:34:14] No.

[00:34:14] Yeah.

[00:34:14] Yeah.

[00:34:14] It was like a Facebook like job board or some thing like that.

[00:34:20] Yeah.

[00:34:20] Yeah.

[00:34:21] Yeah.

[00:34:21] There's a talent community on Facebook.

[00:34:22] Yeah.

[00:34:23] Yeah.

[00:34:23] Don't use that word.

[00:34:24] Don't use that word.

[00:34:25] You know what I'm saying?

[00:34:26] Don't like talent community.

[00:34:33] All right, Ryan.

[00:34:34] PIN.

[00:34:35] P-I-N.

[00:34:36] That's the name of the company.

[00:34:38] Dramatic pause.

[00:34:39] I know.

[00:34:39] I know, dude.

[00:34:40] I love this name.

[00:34:41] Anyhow, AI-powered recruitment designed to streamline the hiring process quickly, connect

[00:34:49] the organization with top-down.

[00:34:50] Raises $3 million.

[00:34:51] Anyhow, PIN raises $3 million.

[00:34:58] The feed, the AI, which is a site I look at every day, .com, it tracks all of this stuff.

[00:35:06] So PIN, I can't see the differentiator yet.

[00:35:10] So you got a bunch of recruiting solutions that are using AI to streamline blah, blah,

[00:35:15] blah, blah, blah.

[00:35:15] Like, okay.

[00:35:16] But I can't see it yet, but hopefully it will come out with the funding that they'll get

[00:35:21] the differentiator down as to what PIN actually does differently than other folks.

[00:35:27] But $3 million in this market?

[00:35:31] Hey, go for next.

[00:35:32] $10 million in 16.

[00:35:35] Yeah.

[00:35:35] So I love it.

[00:35:37] And let's see.

[00:35:38] Let's kind of track them and see how they do.

[00:35:41] PIN.

[00:35:41] P-I-N.

[00:35:42] All right, Ryan.

[00:35:43] You ready for another one?

[00:35:44] I'm ready.

[00:35:45] Legion Technologies secures $50 million to fuel continued innovation in AI-powered workforce

[00:35:55] management.

[00:35:56] For most folks, that's the WFM category of software in WorkTech.

[00:36:02] I love workforce management software.

[00:36:05] So like all of that, it's the plumbing, electricity in the house.

[00:36:10] It's boring and kind of mind-numbing stuff, but you have to have it.

[00:36:15] So time tracking and all that stuff.

[00:36:18] So anyhow, they've been around for a bit.

[00:36:22] I like this category, and I like that they're infusing AI into it.

[00:36:26] So get rid of those inefficiencies while making employees happy.

[00:36:32] Congratulations for the funding.

[00:36:34] Again, never easy to get funding.

[00:36:37] $50 million, definitely not easy to get.

[00:36:40] And I think Silicon Valley Bank was involved.

[00:36:43] And I trust Silicon Valley Bank.

[00:36:47] SVB, not always, but in most cases makes great bets.

[00:36:53] We're talking efficiency.

[00:36:54] We're not talking productivity.

[00:36:55] That's right.

[00:36:55] Just squeeze out those inefficiencies, baby.

[00:37:00] All right, you ready for it?

[00:37:00] I got one more.

[00:37:01] All right, give it to me.

[00:37:02] The Spectre Enhances Global Talent Verification.

[00:37:07] They raised $3.1 million.

[00:37:10] That brings a total raise to about $8.4 million in funding.

[00:37:15] This was on wowtail.net.

[00:37:19] So this is a Korean-based, not that that matters,

[00:37:23] verification, in my humble opinion, is the new black.

[00:37:27] But, you know, here's the thing.

[00:37:30] It's, in a sense, whether you are who you say you are, right?

[00:37:38] And whether you're, and is capitalized, by the way.

[00:37:42] And whether you-

[00:37:43] In all capitals?

[00:37:44] Oh, it's all caps, baby.

[00:37:46] I had to go there.

[00:37:47] Whether you are AI.

[00:37:49] So if we look back, you worked in staffing.

[00:37:52] I did a lot of work with staffing firms.

[00:37:55] We've always had fraud in staffing.

[00:37:57] Like, it's kind of a part of it.

[00:37:58] Like, okay, Billy says that he's Jimmy.

[00:38:01] Jimmy doesn't have the skills.

[00:38:02] Great.

[00:38:02] Whatever.

[00:38:03] All that stuff.

[00:38:03] It's all, it's always been there.

[00:38:06] Like, beginning of time.

[00:38:07] The first time someone staffed someone else.

[00:38:11] Okay, we've had fraud.

[00:38:12] Now, what I want people to think about with this particular thing is there's another phase.

[00:38:19] We're about to embrace a new phase of fraud with AI candidates applying for jobs.

[00:38:27] Yeah.

[00:38:28] So verification just got, like background checks?

[00:38:32] Yeah, got it.

[00:38:34] Verification, are you who you are supposed to be?

[00:38:37] And oh, by the way, are you AI?

[00:38:39] Some people will say, oh, I don't give a shit.

[00:38:41] As long as they do the job, I don't care if they're AI or not.

[00:38:45] Most people are going to want a human being.

[00:38:48] Yeah, you still need, yeah, you still need to verify.

[00:38:53] So, oh shit, Geronimo, now you have more fraud to think of if you're hiring, more things to consider.

[00:39:00] But that's why the importance, that's why Spectre, in this particular case, that's why verification is so important.

[00:39:07] So you reduce fraud, fraud, frogs, whatever.

[00:39:11] All right, I think we are done for today?

[00:39:15] We are, Ryan.

[00:39:16] We finished another barf, and no one died.

[00:39:19] And that's what's important.

[00:39:21] Nobody died here.

[00:39:24] It's not saying they weren't listening.

[00:39:27] My mother used to do this bit with me all the time where, you know, she, and probably a lot of moms did this.

[00:39:32] When I wouldn't finish stuff on my plate.

[00:39:36] I do the same thing.

[00:39:38] There are children dying in Africa.

[00:39:39] I'm like, but I'm not in Africa.

[00:39:42] Like, I can't.

[00:39:43] I'm here in Arlington.

[00:39:45] Yeah.

[00:39:46] I feel sorry.

[00:39:47] I do have empathy for those that are dying of malnutrition and things like that.

[00:39:52] But yeah, not my thing.

[00:39:54] Yeah.

[00:39:54] Well, all right.

[00:39:56] We're all done for today.

[00:39:58] So thank you all for listening.

[00:40:00] Subscribe, love us, like us.

[00:40:02] If you see us out there, which you will not see us out there, at least until the springtime.

[00:40:07] Maybe February-ish.

[00:40:09] Something like that.

[00:40:10] Or maybe longer.

[00:40:12] We don't know.

[00:40:12] Who knows?

[00:40:13] We'll see you next time.

[00:40:14] Bye.