In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson explore the accelerating pace of change in the HR tech industry, comparing current market activity to pivotal moments including 2010-2011 and post-COVID periods. The discussion covers a wave of significant mergers and acquisitions, including UKG's acquisition of Shiftboard and major funding rounds like Grammarly's $1 billion raise and Awardco joining the unicorn club.

They also examine how AI is moving beyond basic automation toward evaluation and analysis capabilities, with companies like Cornerstone, Anaplan, and others embedding AI into their core platforms while addressing limitations and errors.

Key points covered include:

↪️ UKG acquires Shiftboard for skills-based scheduling in energy/manufacturing, while Acrisure bought Heartland Payroll and Intuit acquired GoCo to expand market reach.

↪️ Multiple vendors are moving into strategic workforce planning by 2026, with growing emphasis on bridging the gap between HR and finance functions through better planning systems.

↪️ Leading vendors like Cornerstone are being transparent about AI limitations, including hallucinations, while focusing on practical applications and providing clear warnings about accuracy checks rather than promising perfect solutions.

↪️ Key leadership changes include Jura Slattery joining isolved as Chief Customer Officer and Michael Flannery becoming CEO at Daxtra, reflecting companies' focus on customer experience and data-driven solutions.

↪️ The 28th Annual HR System Survey is LIVE. In addition to covering all segments of HR tech, the survey will delve into new areas such as contingent workforces and the confluence of work and HR tech. All participants will get a complimentary copy of the final report. Take the report today https://sapientinsights.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3CAEkoe5QFNOEoC?SOURCE=SIGPodcast&ID=156

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Cliff Stevenson

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