Candidate Feedback Report '26 | Amazon Launches AI Hiring Platform | UKG Cuts 950 Jobs | Rippling Hits $16.8B

The hiring stack is breaking in real time. Amazon, Greenhouse, UKG. Everybody’s rebuilding recruiting while candidates and AI bots flood the system.

Recruiting used to be messy. Now it’s machine vs machine. Recruiters are drowning in applications, candidates want everything on demand, and the old workflows are getting exposed hard.

412%...

That’s how much applications per recruiter have exploded since 2023. AI-generated resumes are flooding the funnel, companies are cutting headcount, and recruiting teams are trying to keep up with duct tape workflows. In this episode, we rip through layoffs, AI interviewing, candidate experience, recruiting tech, Amazon Connect Talent, Greenhouse, and why hiring is turning into AI versus AI.

In this episode…You’ll hear why UKG’s 950-person layoff isn’t really about AI, how Amazon might finally crack recruiting at scale, why Greenhouse bought voice-first interviewing tech, and why candidates now expect hiring to work like Netflix, Uber, and Amazon. Fast. Mobile. On demand.

Key Takeaways :

• UKG cut 950 jobs in its latest restructuring round

• The Kronos + Ultimate merger created a $3B company with 80,000+ customers

• Applications per recruiter jumped 412% since 2023

• AI-generated resumes are flooding recruiting funnels at insane scale

• Greenhouse acquired Ezra AI Labs for voice-first interviewing

• Amazon’s “Connect Talent” could turn Prime users into recruiting data gold

• Candidates increasingly expect interviews on their own schedule

• Recruiters are now using AI to fight AI-generated candidate spam

• IKEA once hid job ads inside furniture instruction manuals in Australia

• Companies are gaming job boards by labeling office jobs as “remote”

• GoDaddy makes canceling domains feel like an endurance sport

• Candidate experience is becoming the real competitive advantage

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Connect with Us :

William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/

Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/

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