The Chad & Cheese Podcast

Before job boards were obvious, before résumés were broken beyond repair, and before “AI in recruiting” was a buzzword, Jeff Taylor was already there building Monster from a dream, a notebook, and a whole lot of pushback. In this special live conversation, Jeff sits down with Joel Cheesman to walk through the real Monster story: the early rejections, the $4M sale that could’ve been billions, the Super Bowl gamble everyone said was a mistake, the LinkedIn deal that never was, and why résumés and job postings are fundamentally failing today. From DJ booths to dot-com booms, from getting humbled by Facebook to getting rebuilt at Bridgewater, Jeff explains why he’s back and why BoomBand might be his most ambitious swing yet. Big ideas. Bigger regrets. Zero nostalgia. And one founder who’s still swinging for the fences.

The latest installment of The Chad & Cheese Podcast kicks off 2026 with a skeleton crew and a surplus of snark. While Chad Sowash is busy plotting his escape to the beach, Joel Cheesman, J.T. O'Donnell, and Lieven dive into a workforce landscape that feels more like a digital battlefield than a job market. The trio explores why today’s entry-level talent might be fundamentally "broken" by recent history and how a new wave of high-tech sabotage—involving hidden AI commands—is forcing platforms like Indeed to overhaul their defenses. Between roasts of industry giants and a deep dive into "agentic" automation, the panel questions if the traditional act of "applying" for a job is officially dead. The chaos doesn't stop at the office door, as the conversation swerves into the bizarre intersection of professional networking and romantic snooping. From high-level CEO shuffles at Oyster and Textio to a major university scandal involving a fake Einstein quote, this episode exposes the growing pains of an AI-saturated world. Whether it’s a "desperate" new ad campaign from ZipRecruiter or the strange rise of job hunting on dating apps, the crew connects the dots between global trends and absolute industry absurdity. Tune in to find out who’s winning the HR tech wars and why 2026 is already off the rails. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and French Fry Debate 02:59 - Impact of COVID on Entry-Level Jobs 05:57 - The Role of AI in Job Applications 09:08 - Leadership Changes in the Industry 11:44 - Indeed's Response to Resume Manipulation 14:55 - The Future of Job Recruitment 17:57 - Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts 28:32 - Leveraging Opportunities in Job Searching 29:57 - The Impact of Quiet Hiring on Job Market 31:29 - Navigating ATS and Job Applications 32:53 - The Evolution of Recruitment Technology 34:41 - LinkedIn's Response to AI and Competition 36:56 - The Future of Agentic Recruiting 39:56 - AI in Job Applications: A New Era 42:56 - The Intersection of Dating and Job Seeking 56:05 - Creative Approaches to Networking and Recruitment

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

AI didn’t kill creativity — it buried it under a mountain of soulless slop. The boys are back with Jim Kukral, recovering politician, cancer survivor, proud Clevelander, and Admiral of the Cleveland Floaters — to torch the algorithmic apocalypse. From Coca-Cola’s AI holiday ads to the coming “Chipotle Effect” (when robots make your burrito so perfect it finally creeps you out), Jim says humanity’s last unfair advantage is… being human. So he quit his job and started throwing wild, screen-free boat parties on Lake Erie to prove it. Meanwhile, Chad asks the uncomfortable question:Are we really ready to fight back — or are we already too comfy with our AI girlfriends and digital cages? Laughter, existential dread, sweaty dance floors, and zero filters.This one hits different.

It's our prediction episode. What else could you possibly need to know to push PLAY? We recap 2025 - what we and our friends got right and wrong - and get our crystal ball out for 2026. This year, friends of the show, Jason Putnam, Quincy Valencia, Emi Beredugu and J.T. O'Donnell join the boys - including Lieven - in guessing what's in store for the world of work in the year to come. The usual suspects, like ZipRecruiter, Indeed, iCIMS and others are highlighted, as well as big trends like automation, A.I. and more are discussed. So what are you waiting for? Get a jump on '26 and hit the ground running.