One quick way to enrage a room of people leaders? Tell them you let go of your entire HR team.
That’s what Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow said at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit last week, and his comments quickly went viral. “We had an HR team, and that HR team was creating problems that didn’t exist,” Breslow told me. “Those problems disappeared when I let them go.”
He boldly made the remarks just one month after laying off roughly 30% of employees and amid reports that Bolt offered some employees equity in lieu of salary while some contractors went unpaid. Breslow denied these claims. He declined to elaborate after our conversation, though his team pointed me to a LinkedIn post stating the fintech startup is hiring HR leaders in Estonia and Hungary.
Breslow’s HR views weren’t the only hot-button topics at our summit. We also heard from Andrea Lucas, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who defended her agency’s lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging the paper illegally discriminated against a white male editor who was passed over for a promotion in favor of a less-qualified candidate.
I asked whether the lawsuit was politically motivated, given recent Times’ reporting that EEOC employees felt pressure to pursue politically charged cases, even with little evidence. Lucas said she believes in the merit of all cases she advances.
“Civil rights should be for everyone, and we’re broadening that aperture,” Lucas told me. “But we are going to advance the president’s priorities because that’s completely appropriate as part of the administration.” You can watch our full conversation here.
Beyond those headline-making moments, this year’s Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit focused heavily on AI and workplace transformation. One McKinsey partner predicted that AI could reshape up to 50% of work hours within five years. Workplace culture also remained front and center, with conversations ranging from four-day workweeks to the organizational challenges that pay transparency is exposing.
You can find our full event coverage here. We’ll continue rolling out more conversations and insights in the weeks ahead.
Kristin Stoller
Editorial Director, Fortune Live Media
kristin.stoller@fortune.com
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
Executives are creating AI digital twins to take over some of their workloads. Wall Street Journal
CEOs are becoming ruthlessly focused on performance as they lag competitors. Bloomberg
More working women are ‘cycle syncing,’ or optimizing work routines to the phases of their menstrual cycles. Financial Times
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Love connection. Corporate America can learn a lot from dating, as one expert says ghosting and quiet quitting are the same problem. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez
Neurodivergent needs. A “proudly autistic” workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Texas. —Tristan Bove
AI job growth. Fewer than 1% of work skills can currently be performed by AI without human involvement. Enter the “wage premium.” —Emma Burleigh
At the recent Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit, Ryan Breslow, the CEO of Bolt, sparked controversy with his remarks about human resources. He revealed that he had let go of his entire HR team, claiming that they were creating problems that didn’t exist, problems that disappeared once the team was dismissed. This statement comes in the wake of Bolt laying off approximately 30% of its workforce and facing allegations regarding equity compensation in lieu of salary and unpaid contractors, claims that Breslow denied. He did not provide further details but indicated that Bolt is in the process of hiring HR leaders in Estonia and Hungary.
The summit featured other notable discussions, including a presentation by Andrea Lucas, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), who defended her agency’s lawsuit against The New York Times. The lawsuit alleges discrimination against a white male editor who was overlooked for a promotion in favor of a less-qualified candidate. When questioned about potential political motivations behind the lawsuit, especially in light of claims that EEOC employees felt pressured to pursue politically charged cases, Lucas insisted on the merit of the cases she supports. She emphasized that civil rights should protect everyone and acknowledged that advancing the president’s priorities is appropriate within the current administration.
A central theme of this year’s summit was the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in workplace transformation. A McKinsey partner predicted that AI could alter as much as 50% of work hours within the next five years. Discussions also revolved around workplace culture, including innovative concepts like the four-day workweek and the challenges posed by pay transparency.
In addition to these discussions, the event highlighted various HR trends and developments. Executives are increasingly utilizing AI digital twins to manage workloads more efficiently, indicating a significant shift towards performance-focused leadership in light of competitive pressures. There’s also a growing trend among working women to optimize their work routines in alignment with their menstrual cycles, a practice known as « cycle syncing. »
Furthermore, the discussion touched on the needs of neurodivergent employees, with insights from a workplace expert who likened the challenges faced by autistic individuals in traditional office settings to placing a polar bear in an unsuitable environment. Lastly, while AI’s capabilities are expanding, fewer than 1% of work skills can currently be performed by AI without human intervention, leading to the emergence of a « wage premium » for skills that remain uniquely human.
The Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit served as a platform for examining the intersection of technology, workplace culture, and evolving HR practices. The conversations highlighted the importance of adaptability in leadership and the potential for AI to reshape work dynamics significantly in the near future. As organizations navigate these changes, the ongoing dialogue about the role of HR and workplace inclusivity will be crucial in shaping effective strategies moving forward.
For more insights and detailed coverage of the summit, further updates will be rolled out in the weeks ahead.
