> “The truth is, if you want a job, you’re gonna go through this thing,” Adam Jackson, CEO and founder of Braintrust, a company that distributes AI interviewers, tells Fortune. “If there were a large portion of the job-seeking community that were wholesale rejecting this, our clients wouldn’t find the tool useful… This thing would be chronically underperforming for our clients. And we’re just not seeing that—we’re seeing the opposite.”

They're seeing the opposite because people are desperate. When HR teams use tools like this interviewees have no choice. Braintrust are literally holding people hostage with this. Of course the numbers look good. But you didn't ask the people being interviewed by your product what they think of it or how it made them feel.

And of course Mr. Jackson doesn't care. His company's bottom line is his performance bonus.

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zanderwohl 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

Person selling a product informs you that the product they're selling is good despite counter claims.

> They're seeing the opposite because people are desperate.

I hope, wish, pray we get back to the 2021 market in a few years so we don't have to humor HR persons anymore. I was very polite and reasonable when I switched jobs in 2021 but when the cycle comes around I am going to string along HR folks and recruiters as a hobby. I will try to get them to cry on the phone.

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827a 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Right; AI interviews select-out candidates who aren't desperate; who tend to be the highest quality candidates. Great job, Braintrust.

Some companies genuinely don't care though; they're a meatgrinder that just need to get warm souls into the machine. Ironically: These are the companies that are being eaten alive by AI right now.

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ryandrake 6 days ago | parent [-]

Who says companies want the "highest quality candidates?" Some companies would prefer desperate, obedient employees who have no other options and will jump through any hoops they're told to jump through.

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827a 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

Many companies exist in a state of this reality. Very few people at these companies genuinely want it. There are some companies that are clearly and intentionally designed to want this, but they're very rare (oftentimes in consulting, oftentimes companies which prey on visa programs or undocumented immigrants. oh, and amazon).

The goal of recruiting at most companies is to get the best candidate for the role at the best price within the time it is feasible to recruit for.

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aflag 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Also, most of us are about average.

	▲	827a 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		True, but most companies are also average, so it ends up cancelling out.

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Traster 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Woah woah woah woah woah. You've missed the obvious conclusion of what Adam Jackson CEO of Braintrust is saying. The obvious conclusion is that Adam Jackson is a liar. Oh yeah, you would think that this AI slop bucket at the front of our interview process would deter people - but the guy whose stock compensation depends on it working is very happy to lie that it doesn't.

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mr_toad 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I’m skeptical about the ability of LLMs to assess candidates. LLMs underperform ML models, or even simple linear models when it comes to prediction. And measuring job performance / ranking employees to establish a metric that you can even start to predict is a whole can of worms.

Frankly I think they’re pushing snake oil on gullible HR departments.

Then again, they’re probably cheaper than many human interviewers & recruiters who added little to the selection process either.

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inanutshellus 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

"With our services, you'll get the best desperate C-student out there for your open position!"