Workquake Weekly – Details, episodes & analysis

In this debut episode of Workquake Weekly, Steve Cadigan explores how two companies—Moderna and Klarna—are making bold, contrasting moves in the age of AI. One is merging tech and HR leadership to build a more integrated future. The other is learning what happens when efficiency trumps empathy. What do these stories reveal about leadership, talent, and the real role of AI? Tune in for fresh insights—and a challenge for how you lead next.

This week on Workquake Weekly, Steve Cadigan dives into two rising trends that are shaking up how we think about work: ghost jobs and micro-retirements. On the surface, they couldn’t be more different — one’s frustrating job seekers, the other’s helping employees reset. But together, they reveal a deeper truth: our old strategies for hiring, planning, and leading might be past their prime.

Steve breaks down why “just-in-case” job postings are backfiring in a world craving clarity, and how short, intentional breaks could be the leadership unlock we’ve been missing.

If you’re rethinking how to build trust, momentum, and performance in today’s workplace, this episode is for you. Tune in to explore what it means to lead with more intention — and maybe even press pause, on purpose.

🎙 Topics covered:

• The hidden cost of ghost job postings

• Micro-retirements and the power of a purposeful pause

• Why the future of leadership is about trust, not just output

This week on Workquake Weekly, Steve Cadigan takes you inside a recent trip that left him more hopeful than ever about the future of work. Invited to speak at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Steve didn’t just deliver a talk—he discovered a living, breathing ecosystem that’s actively reshaping how learning and careers intersect.

From students solving real-world problems to industry partners co-designing curriculum, TU Dublin isn’t just innovating—they’re implementing. In this episode, Steve shares what he saw, what surprised him, and why he walked away more energized than ever.

If you’ve ever wondered what the future of education and work could look like… this is it.

🎓 This week on Workquake Weekly, we’re diving into the crisis that’s quietly reshaping the early career landscape: the disappearance of entry-level work.

With headlines flooding in from The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, and more, it’s clear—this isn’t just a bad year for new grads. It’s a global shift. And it’s time we stop pretending otherwise.

In this episode, Steve Cadigan unpacks why the entry-level job market is drying up… and what we can do about it. From rethinking internships and onboarding strategies, to building better bridges between education and employment, this conversation is a wake-up call for leaders, educators, parents—and anyone trying to launch a career in 2025.

🔥 Plus: practical takeaways, a dose of optimism, and a big call to action for companies that want to stay competitive in the age of AI.

If you’re a grad, a parent, or someone who hires early talent—you don’t want to miss this one.

This week on Workquake Weekly, Steve unpacks a jarring headline: Ford just pulled its financial forecast for the year. With profits plunging and EV policy swinging wildly, one of America’s most iconic companies hit pause on long-term planning. But this isn’t just Ford’s problem. It’s a signal flare for every employer navigating the intersection of business, politics, and people.

In this episode, Steve explores how political volatility—not just AI or tech disruption—is reshaping workforce strategy in 2025. He reflects on the emotional toll of uncertainty for workers, the rising strategic burden on HR, and why today’s leaders need more than operational plans… they need civic agility.

Whether you’re running a factory or managing a team, this one’s for you.

Tune in for fresh insights, a challenge to spark honest conversations about volatility, and a call to lead with trust—even when the rules keep changing.

Hello everyone — welcome back to Workquake Weekly! I’m Steve Cadigan, and in this episode we’re getting personal… with AI.

That’s right. We’re not talking about AI in the abstract. We’re talking about AI and YOU. And me. And how it’s reshaping not just our workflows, but how we think about value, identity, and growth.

Here’s what we’ll dig into:

• Why graduation season isn’t just for students anymore

• How AI is shifting the question from “What do you do?” to “What do you uniquely bring?”

• Why soft skills are now power skills — and how to flex them

• What it means to build a mindset for reinvention

• And the one question I think everyone should sit with this week

Spoiler alert: this isn’t about competing with machines. It’s about becoming more human than ever before.

Ready to rethink your edge in the age of AI?

Let’s do this.

🎧 Listen now and check out the LinkedIn post that inspired this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cadigan_its-graduation-season-and-the-career-advice-activity-7335357597136392192-nmSO

And if you’ve read my book Workquake, I’d love it if you left a quick review on Amazon — it really helps keep the momentum going.

Hey friends, Steve Cadigan here! This week on Workquake Weekly, we’re diving into two trends that might seem totally separate — but together, they’re telling a powerful story about where the future of work is headed.

First up: Gen Z is not waiting around for corporate ladders to offer stability. A new global study from Fiverr shows nearly 70% of Gen Z is leaning into freelancing — not as a backup plan, but as their main gig. Why? It’s not just about flexibility… it’s about agency, protection, and building something they can count on.

Then we look at a growing shift in how companies scale: small teams are making a big comeback. New research from MNP shows that some of the most efficient and profitable companies today are going public with fewer than 20 employees. Agile, fast-moving, customer-focused — these lean teams are proving that small can be a superpower.

Together, these shifts are pushing us to ask: Are we building organizations based on control… or trust? Are we designing work for the world we used to live in — or the one we’re in now?

Tune in for a fresh, optimistic look at how we can build better, more human workplaces — one decision at a time.

Most companies aren’t falling behind in AI because they lack the tools… they’re falling behind because they don’t know what they’ve already got.

In this week’s episode of Workquake Weekly, Steve unpacks two powerful articles—one from Sally Thornton at Forshay, and another by David Michels in Forbes—that both spotlight a surprising but critical truth: the real AI opportunity isn’t just about upskilling. It’s about skill visibility.

Steve explores why organizations are freezing instead of evolving, how outdated talent systems are holding us back, and what leaders at every level can do to move forward—one smart question at a time.

If you’re leading people, growing your own career, or just trying to make sense of the future of work, this one’s for you.

In this week’s episode, Steve tackles a question that just won’t go away: Does working from home damage company culture?

Inspired by a recent article in The Economist — “Does working from home kill company culture?” — Steve unpacks why this debate is still alive years after the pandemic “officially” ended, and why the return-to-office narrative isn’t as clear-cut as some leaders might think.

Key takeaways from the episode:

• Culture is complicated. Everyone agrees it’s important… but no one fully agrees on what it is. Is it energy? Values? Trust? Decision speed? That ambiguity makes it a tough scapegoat for in-office mandates.

• The data tells a different story. Research from the University of Pittsburgh shows that forcing employees back into the office led to lower engagement and higher turnover — not the cultural boost leaders hoped for.

• Maybe it’s not culture that’s the issue… it’s leadership. Remote and hybrid environments don’t kill culture, but they do expose weak leadership. If your direction is vague, your communication is inconsistent, or your team doesn’t feel seen — it shows up fast in a remote setup.

• Most companies are already hybrid. Whether leaders realize it or not, if you have teams across time zones or offices in different cities, you’re already managing remotely. So why treat working from home like a radical shift?

• It’s time for better questions. Instead of asking “Where should people work?” Steve suggests asking things like:

  
  

  • “What kind of experience are we trying to create?”

  • “What do our people need to do their best work?”

  • “Is it really the culture that’s struggling… or our ability to lead in new ways?”

  
  

Ultimately, Steve challenges us to stop seeing proximity as a proxy for culture — and to start seeing trust, clarity, and intentional leadership as the real drivers.

🎧 Final thought:

The future of work isn’t about one-size-fits-all answers. It’s about choice, context, and the courage to keep evolving.

In this episode, we’re diving into a question that touches just about everyone—students, parents, leaders, and anyone thinking about the future of work: Is the traditional college-to-career pipeline still working?

Steve breaks down two recent articles from The Atlantic by Rose Horowitch that reveal a surprising shift in education trends:

✅ Humanities majors are making a comeback

❌ Computer science degrees are cooling off

What’s going on here? And what does it say about how we prepare people for a future that’s moving way too fast for old playbooks?

Tune in as Steve explores:

• Why the “major = career” formula is cracking

• What future-fluency means in a world of AI and ambiguity

• How parents, educators, and leaders can shift the conversation around career readiness

Plus, he shares a mindset challenge to help you rethink how we learn, lead, and grow—no matter where you are in your career journey.