FromDayOne, Inc's logo

Conferences and Journalism for HR and Marketing Leaders

From Day One is a media outlet covering innovative ways organizations build stronger relationships with employees, customers, and communities, with reporting on leadership, employee experience, workplace well-being, brand trust, and AI.

Latest reporting on People & HR, Advertising and Marketing

News BY Ade Akin | October 22, 2026

Recent Job Cuts Show Tech Layoffs Don’t Need an AI Story

Netflix is cutting about 1,000 jobs, roughly 6% of its workforce, in its largest round of layoff in recent years. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters announced the Netflix layoffs in an Oct. 14 memo to employees. Variety reported that the cuts hit the product, technology, legal, and HR teams hardest.Netflix’s announcement doesn’t cite AI as a reason for the cuts. Instead, the co-CEOs framed the workforce reduction as a matter of focus. “Our business is strong and growing, and we remain on track to deliver our full year forecast,” Sarandos and Peters wrote. The company needs to be “disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources,” they added, reports Variety.Netflix’s explanation stands apart from much of this year’s layoff data. Employers have cited AI in 120,136 announced U.S. job cuts through September, about 21% of the total and the most common reason given so far this year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas data reported by Fast Company.Tech layoffs make up a large share of that total. Technology companies announced 165,925 job cuts through September, up 54% from the same period in 2025, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Older explanations haven’t gone away, though. In September alone, employers most often cited market and economic conditions for cuts, while AI ranked fifth.For HR leaders, these cuts carry a second twist. HR is one of the hardest-hit departments, which can stretch the remaining people tasked with guiding employees through the transition. While many employers point to AI, Netflix’s memo explained the cuts in plain business terms. As more companies cut staff for similar reasons, how clearly and quickly leaders explain those decisions may shape employee trust among the people who stay.Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by peterhowell/iStock)

Recent Job Cuts Show Tech Layoffs Don’t Need an AI Story
News BY Ade Akin | October 12, 2026

AI Tools Continue to Change the Hiring Landscape

LinkedIn’s AI recruiting agent will soon tailor its candidate recommendations to each recruiter’s own hiring history. The company announced LinkedIn Hiring Assistant 2, a new version of its AI agent for recruiters that remembers how individual recruiters and their companies hire and applies those preferences to future searches.In LinkedIn’s example, a recruiter who asked the first version for a product management candidate got exactly that. The new version would also look for someone close to the office, in the retail industry, with mid-level experience, if that is what the recruiter has hired for before.Dan Reid, the VP of product at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, told customers at the company’s Talent Connect event in New York City that the agent learns "not how everybody hires, but how you hire," HR Brew reported.LinkedIn is pitching the upgrade as an answer to a crowded market. Global hiring is down 30%, and applications per applicant are up 30% compared with pre-pandemic levels, the company says. LinkedIn says more than 20,000 companies now use its agentic hiring products, including AMD, Cisco, and Zillow. The company reports that recruiters are four times more likely to contact candidates sourced by Hiring Assistant than those found through traditional methods, and 27% more likely than they were six months ago.But recruiters still keep the controls. They can switch individual steps on or off, override recommendations, and review what the agent has done, HR Brew reported.That boundary matches what practitioners have said about AI in hiring. During a panel at From Day One’s March virtual conference, titled "Smart Tools, Smarter Hiring: How TA Leaders Can Leverage Their Human Judgment," speakers noted that AI recruiting tools prove most useful for high-volume tasks such as screening questions, scheduling, and candidate matching.But the panel also agreed that giving AI the final say doesn’t work. “We don’t have AI making decisions," Angie Lombardo, the VP, global director of operations for talent acquisition at Arcadis, said. As agentic AI becomes more involved in the recruiting process, HR leaders who use these new tools have to decide which steps the agent should run, who reviews its recommendations, and how often someone checks its work.Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by gmast3r/iStock)

AI Tools Continue to Change the Hiring Landscape

Upcoming HR and marketing events

What attendees say about From Day One conferences

Jordan Baker, Emplify — From Day One attendee

“The panels were phenomenal. The breakout sessions were incredibly insightful. I got the opportunity to speak with countless HR leaders who are dedicated to improving people’s lives. I walked away feeling excited about my own future in the business world, knowing that many of today’s people leaders are striving for a more diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce.”

– Jordan Baker, Emplify
Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab — From Day One attendee

“Thank you, From Day One, for such an important conversation on diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and social impact.”

– Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab
Kim Vu, Remitly — From Day One attendee

“Timely and much needed convo about the importance of removing the stigma and providing accessible mental health resources for all employees.”

– Kim Vu, Remitly
Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM — From Day One attendee

“Great discussion about leadership, accountability, transparency and equity. Thanks for having me, From Day One.”

– Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM
Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc. — From Day One attendee

“De-stigmatizing mental health illnesses, engaging stakeholders, arriving at mutually defined definitions for equity, and preventing burnout—these are important topics that I’m delighted are being discussed at the From Day One conference.”

– Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc.
Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC  — From Day One attendee

“Thank you for bringing speakers and influencers into one space so we can all continue our work scaling up the impact we make in our organizations and in the world!”

– Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC
Vivian Greentree, Fiserv — From Day One attendee

“From Day One provided a full day of phenomenal learning opportunities and best practices in creating & nurturing corporate values while building purposeful relationships with employees, clients, & communities.”

– Vivian Greentree, Fiserv
Chip Maxwell, Emplify — From Day One attendee

“We always enjoy and are impressed by your events, and this was no exception.”

– Chip Maxwell, Emplify
Katy Romero, One Medical — From Day One attendee

“We really enjoyed the event yesterday— such an engaged group of attendees and the content was excellent. I'm feeling great about our decision to partner with FD1 this year.”

– Katy Romero, One Medical
Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's — From Day One attendee

“The From Day One Conference in Seattle was filled with people who want to make a positive impact in their company, and build an inclusive culture around diversity and inclusion. Thank you to all the panelists and speakers for sharing their expertise and insights. I'm looking forward to next year's event!”

– Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's
Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events — From Day One attendee

“I had the pleasure of attending From Day One. My favorite session, Getting Bias Out of Our Systems, was such a powerful conversation between local thought leaders.”

– Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events
Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz — From Day One attendee

“Inspiring speakers and powerful conversations. Loved meeting so many talented people driving change in their organizations. Thank you From Day One! I look forward to next year’s event!”

– Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz
Angela Prater, Confluence Health — From Day One attendee

“I had the distinct pleasure of attending From Day One Seattle. The Getting Bias Out of Our Systems discussion was inspirational and eye-opening.”

– Angela Prater, Confluence Health
Joel Stupka, SkillCycle — From Day One attendee

“From Day One did an amazing job of providing an exceptional experience for both the attendees and vendors. I mean, we had whale sharks and giant manta rays gracefully swimming by on the other side of the hall from our booth!”

– Joel Stupka, SkillCycle
Alexis Hauk, Emory University — From Day One attendee

“Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel on healthy work environments at the From Day One conference in Atlanta. I was so inspired by what these experts had to say about the timely and important topics of mental health in the workplace and the value of nurturing a culture of psychological safety.”

– Alexis Hauk, Emory University