AI vs "Vibe" In-Person
$100m Jobs, Amazon Team, New podcast & The Vibe
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Why Vibes Matter
AI-in-Recruiting News
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Hey EQ Community,
Last week, I met with customers, gave a talk on APSCO's online built product, and had a few team members in person. One thing I was reminded of:
It’s All About The Vibe
I’ve spent years building digital-first teams, meeting people where they are, scaling teams, and designing products remotely, which I still believe allows for huge benefits, and based on my recent poll (306 responses):
51% of you work fully remote, while 37% are hybrid—thanks so much to everyone who took the time to share!
AI-Transcribed > In-Person
The team just spent three days together at our brand-new, in-person EQ Hub in California (yes, it just opened on Monday).
We’ve met virtually every day for 30 minutes, all meetings AI-transcribed. But this? A different vibe entirely.
We brought together a cross-functional group, all aligned on one goal:
A Zero-Admin recruiting process.
The goal was to finalise our roadmap based on customer feedback.
What happened?
We used the power of AI in person
Codified our product-building philosophy
Built a new landing page
And—most importantly—we rediscovered the power of simply being in the same room.
Get stuff done and build a connective tissue
I was worried about fatigue. But the team?
“I’m super energised.”
“This was fun.”
“When’s the next one?”
And that got me thinking:
How often are hiring managers, recruiters, and stakeholders truly face-to-face?
In a world where recruiting has gone remote, these high-trust, high-clarity moments are increasingly rare—and increasingly valuable.
My EQ vision is that AI Zero-Admin can help staffing and recruitment firms spend more time meeting clients, or even groups of candidates.
It’s a Vibe.
That week, as we toured the offices, we walked into one space, and the energy was off. There was no debate—we kept moving.
That freedom to sense and respond in real time? That’s culture.
This experience felt like a turning point for the scale of EQ. I didn’t code (definitely not my strength, thank goodness), but I empowered the team, and they delivered.
It gave me space to do what I do best: think strategically, engage with customers, and keep us focused on the operations while building the future.
If you’re leading a staffing firm or TA team, know this: today’s not about having the answers.
Recruitment isn’t just matching skills to roles—it’s about creating trust with your clients, candidates, and colleagues to look ahead.
You’ve got two hours. I’m stepping out.
“Our landing page doesn’t make sense”, an engineer casually mentioned.
I had already suspected it, and I had built it, but hearing the blunt, honest feedback in person made a difference.
I said:
“Okay. You’ve got two hours. I’m stepping out.”
Two hours later, a brand-new version was live. We walked to lunch reviewing it as a team—fully aligned, fully bought in.
It forced us to clarify something fundamental:
Who are we building for—clients, candidates, recruiters?
That exercise gave us the answer, and it led to a cleaner, clearer, AI-powered site just for our staffing and recruiting clients.
Make sure to interact with this post to get an exclusive preview of our new site!
Notable AI in Recruitment
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged that AI will inevitably reduce white-collar headcount at the company, emphasizing the need for employees to adapt by becoming “experts” in using AI tools—marking one of the most direct statements yet from a major tech leader on automation’s impact.
→ My POV: He’s right; recruiters will need to adapt faster than we thought. It will be both an internal shift and an external shift. I spoke with a CEO customer of a mid-sized staffing firm from this week who is seeing a significant decline in his IT roles. He’s not the only one.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta allegedly offered $100 million signing bonuses to recruit OpenAI employees—an aggressive tactic as tech firms battle for top-tier AI talent
→ My POV: One podcaster remarked, “Oh, Johnny Ive has basically been aqua-hired by OpenAI for over $5 billion.” These days, intelligence holds more value to companies than money. I’ve heard estimates that the ultimate prize for winning the AI race could be as high as $10 trillion. But there’s also plenty of media theater at play—throwing around big numbers is a sure way to stay in the headlines.
We’ve designed a 90-day Pioneer Program
Built to help forward-thinking teams move fast, learn quickly, and lead with confidence.
Smarter Job Discovery Starts Here (Beta)
We’ve reimagined the job board. With instant screening and EQ’s AI-powered matching, candidates now find better-fit opportunities in less time.
Stay Tuned For The Next AI in Recruiting Podcast!
If You’re Leading a Team…
Try it. Get people in the same room. Even just once.
It’s not just about productivity—it’s about clarity, creativity, and the spark that comes when people connect face to face.
We’re already planning our next session—and next time, we’re inviting customers too!
More next week. Until then, think less about growth and more about how we strengthen.
Cheers,
— Marcus
Founder & CEO, EQ.app