Spilling the Tea on HR Tech - 2026 starts off with billion-dollar acquisitions, AI buyer fatigue, people transitions, and a new government program focused on apprenticeships.

In this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Stacey Harris and Cliff Stevenson kick off the conversation with major acquisition news reshaping the HR tech market, including Coursera's plan to acquire Udemy for $2.5 billion and ServiceNow's $7.75 billion acquisition of ARMIS. They cover significant leadership changes across multiple companies, discuss the just-announced Department of Labor funding for apprenticeships in high-growth industries, and share insights on actual use of AI. 

The hosts also highlight the next HR Systems Survey, which will launch on April 15th for distribution partners and on April 29th for the general public.

Key points covered include:

↪️ Coursera's $2.5 billion deal to acquire Udemy signals consolidation in corporate learning content; the combined company will focus on AI training and the corporate market. ServiceNow's $7.75 billion acquisition of Armis addresses critical security needs as organizations navigate the bring-your-own-AI trend, asset discovery, and data access controls across expanding tech ecosystems. The conversation also covers Phenom’s acquisition of Included AI and the acquisition of Ethan Allen HR Services by G&A Partners.

↪️ The Department of Labor recently announced it is allocating $98 million through its YouthBuild Program to support pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries such as  construction, manufacturing, IT, and healthcare. Funded projects are intended to provide education, occupational skills training and employment services to young people ages 16 to 24 and strengthen connections to registered apprenticeship programs.  

↪️ Leadership changes at Culture Amp and Oyster position both companies for growth, with founders transitioning to board chairman roles.  They also discuss major executive changes at isolved and Atana.  

↪️ The newly introduced Claude Cowork, an agentic AI tool built into the Claude desktop app, automates complex, multi-step tasks for non-coders.  The hosts discuss how such tools are enabling workers to “collaborate” with AI as a coworker, greatly expanding AI’s practical use.

Don’t miss this exciting thought leader conversation! Follow the hosts and companies mentioned below:

Sapient Insights Group

Download the 2024-25 HR Systems Survey White Paper

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Stacey Harris

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Cliff Stevenson

Twitter | LinkedIn