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Curated Intel from the Talent Tech Industry
December 30, 2024 – January 5, 2025:
• Being honest and dishonest at the same time: Klarna CEO says AI ‘can already do all of the jobs’;
• Starting out with eyes open: The future of recruitment technology & talent acquisition in 2025;
• Pushing for more H1-Bs: Elon Musk argues against anti-immigration sentiment in posts on X;
• Harming people with words: Meta shuts down AI character accounts on Facebook after outcry;
• Marketing hits close to home: AI firm’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ billboard campaign sparks outrage.
PLUS
• The TAtech Leadership Summit on Recruitment Marketing, February 26-27, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. For senior execs at enterprise employers and TA solution providers.
• TAtech North America & The World Job Board Forum, June 3-5, 2025 in Oceanside just north of San Diego, California. For job board and talent technology company CEOs, senior execs and rising stars.
• TAtech Europe & The EMEA Job Board Forum, November 11-12, 2025 in London, England. For job board and talent technology company CEOs, senior execs and rising stars.
Seating is limited at all events, so register today!
Klarna CEO says the company stopped hiring a year ago because AI ‘can already do all of the jobs’
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski is all in on artificial intelligence at the fintech company. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Siemiatkowski said he was “of the opinion that AI can already do all of the jobs that we as humans do.” “It’s just a question of how we apply it and use it,” he said. Klarna is a payment service that offers consumers “buy now, pay later” options. According to its website, the company is connected with more than 575,000 retailers. The increased attention toward AI has raised concerns about how it will affect careers and the workplace. A 2023 report by McKinsey & Company estimated that 12 million American workers would have to change occupations by 2030 as AI technology develops. During the interview, Siemiatkowski said Klarna stopped hiring last year [even though it continued to post jobs online].
The Future of Recruitment Technology and Talent Acquisition in 2025: A TAtech White Paper
In the rapidly evolving landscape of talent acquisition, 2025 is poised to be a year of significant transformation. With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, recruiters, candidates, and tech buyers are all grappling with the implications and opportunities these changes bring. The themes of impatience for technological solutions, strategic workforce adjustments, and the evolving role of recruitment technology are at the forefront of this transformation. But there are others that are likely to be equally as impactful. Here’s our take on the most important.
Elon Musk combats anti-immigration sentiment in posts decrying ‘dire shortage’ of tech talent
Billionaire businessman and recently appointed government cost-cutter Elon Musk called for increased immigration of high-skilled foreign workers to the U.S. in several social media posts combating immigration restrictionists. In a post on X, Musk decried a “permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent” in America, calling it the “fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Mario Nawfal, a businessman and influencer on X, quoted Musk’s post and said the U.S. semiconductor industry alone needs more than 160,000 engineers by 2032, citing McKinsey & Company. “No, we need more like double that number yesterday!” Musk replied. “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.” Musk then drew an analogy between the U.S. economy and a pro sports team. “If you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be,” he wrote.
Meta shuts down AI character accounts on Facebook, Instagram after outcry
Since late 2023, around a dozen artificial intelligence Instagram and Facebook accounts created by their parent company, Meta, quietly existed on the platforms. Originally launched alongside a suite of official celebrity AI characters, the AI-driven personalities posted some AI-generated images and were available for chatting over direct messages. Until Friday [January 3], those AI accounts never attracted much attention. When they did, controversy erupted, leading Meta to pull down the accounts and restrict search results for their usernames. In a statement shared with NBC News, a Meta spokesperson said “There is confusion” over when the controversial accounts were introduced to the platform.
AI Firm’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ Billboard Campaign Sparks Outrage
In San Francisco, the heart of Silicon Valley, an AI startup called Artisan has spent an untold sum blitzing the city with an advertising campaign that dispenses with the need for humanity. Artisan’s tagline: “Stop Hiring Humans.” The company, which is backed by startup accelerator Y-Combinator, sells what it calls “AI Employees” or “Artisans.” What the company actually sells is software designed to assist with customer service and sales workflow. The company appears to have done an internal pow-wow and decided that the most effective way to promote its relatively mundane product was to fund an ad campaign heralding the end of the human age. Writing about the ad campaign, local outlet SFGate notes that the posters—which are strewn all over the city—include plugs like the following: “Artisans won’t complain about work-life balance” “Artisan’s Zoom cameras will never ‘not be working’ today.” “Hire Artisans, not humans.” “The era of AI employees is here.”
One-of-a-Kind Conferences for TA Solutions Business Success
• The TAtech Leadership Summit on Recruitment Marketing, February 26-27, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. For senior execs at enterprise employers and TA solution providers.
• TAtech North America & The World Job Board Forum, June 3-5, 2025 in Oceanside just north of San Diego, California. For job board and talent technology company CEOs, senior execs and rising stars.
• TAtech Europe & The EMEA Job Board Forum, November 11-12, 2025 in London, England. For job board and talent technology company CEOs, senior execs and rising stars.
Seating is limited at all events, so register today!
