Fullstack HR

Hosted by Johannes Sundlo

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Fullstack HR is a podcast by HR professionals for HR professionals, hosted by Johannes Sundlo, an active HR manager shaping the future of work. We dive deep into the latest trends in HR, AI, and digital tools, offering insights from someone in the trenches daily. Whether you’re looking to future-proof your HR strategies or stay ahead of industry shifts, this podcast delivers actionable advice and expert perspectives to elevate your HR game. www.fullstackhr.io

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60 recent

June 11, 202613 min

Claude Fable 5 is here. The models are ready, your organization isn't

Anthropic just dropped Claude Fable 5, and I've run it through the same test suite he's used on every major model for 2.5 years. The verdict is clear, but the bigger lesson isn't about the model at all.In this episode:- Why Fable 5 feels like the most human-like model yet, and how it gives honest, direct feedback instead of patting you on the back- The worker scheduling test (30 people, legal requirements, hard constraints) and how Fable 5 handled it- A real client case where Fable 5 reworked a Copilot Studio workshop deck and improved the flow- The Mythos connection, the security guardrails, and why hacking headlines might be part PR- The pricing cliff on June 22. $10 per input token, $50 per output token, and Johannes's plan to pair Opus 4.8 for creation with Fable 5 for evaluation- The real bottleneck. Models are capable, organizations are not, and why experimentation time is the thing HR must fight for- McKinsey's warning that HR risks becoming a sub-department of IT if it doesn't take the driver's seat nowLinks mentioned:- McKinsey HR Monitor 2026 → https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/hr-monitor

June 10, 20267 min

AI Shame and Why You Can't Skip the Grunt Work

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletter → https://fullstackhr.ioOrganizations keep telling Johannes Sundlo, the host here, "we've got the basics covered, skip ahead." Then he asks them to show how they use AI, and gets blank stares. This episode is about AI shame, where it comes from, and the one step you can't skip.In this episode:AI shame, what it looks like and why it's more common in 2026 than 2025The pattern behind it. Buyers say "we're proficient, go straight to processes," but the proficiency is a sliver of what the models can doWhy this shows up most in leadership teams, and why leaders who skip the grunt work can't set credible AI expectations for their organizationThe missing step. You can't jump to agentic processes before you've done the unglamorous work of learning what the model can doEducate everyone, including truck drivers without computers, because employees are already getting AI advice on salary and managers in their spare timeWhy being practical beats strategic-only thinking in AI adoption right nowLessons from roughly 110 workshops this winter and spring, and why Johannes is scaling that down

June 6, 20265 min

Connect HR to Claude & ChatGPT with MCP (Easier Than You Think)

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletter Yes, you can connect your HR system, ATS, or engagement tool to Claude and ChatGPT. In this episode Johannes Sundlo walks through the exact steps to add an MCP server to both tools, using a safe read-only demo.In this episode:What an MCP server unlocks for your AI, explained simplyAdding a pre-made connector in ClaudeAdding a custom MCP server in Claude with a URLWhy you should start with read-only accessEnabling Developer mode and creating an app in ChatGPTConnecting and testing the server in ChatGPTAuthentication, security, and why to bring IT in earlyNew to MCP? Start with the written primer that explains connectors and MCP from scratch:https://www.fullstackhr.io/p/connectors-and-mcp-explained-forLinks mentioned:MCP and connectors explainer → https://www.fullstackhr.io/p/connectors-and-mcp-explained-for

June 2, 202612 min

Is AI adoption now a bigger edge than the model itself?

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletter → https://fullstackhr.ioOpenAI just ran an event called Intelligence at Work, and the releases say a lot about where the world of work is going. Here is what dropped and why it matters for anyone leading AI adoption.In this episode:Why the bottleneck has shifted from model intelligence to a company's ability to absorb the techThe stat to sit with: 74% of AI's economic value is captured by 20% of companiesCodex moving into ChatGPT, and what that means if you are on ChatGPT EnterpriseSix role-specific agent plugins, including a data analytics agent that writes queries, builds charts, and produces a deckAnnotations: editing one piece of an output instead of regenerating the whole thing, and whether it solves the "last mile" problemSites: turning Codex outputs into shareable, live dashboards and internal apps (Lovable meets Artifacts)Why OpenAI keeps framing adoption as a human transformation, not an IT projectSam Altman on the next phase: proactive agents that fix things in the background before you askLinks mentioned:OpenAI Intelligence at Work (the event) → https://openai.com/sv-SE/business/intelligence-at-work/

June 2, 20269 min

What does good performance look like in the age of AI?

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletter Performance reviews have looked the same since the 1950s, and they are still mostly task-based. AI breaks that. This episode asks what we should reward when the tasks get automated and the only thing left to value is human judgment.In this episode:- Why the task-based performance review is the wrong tool for the AI era- The judgment problem. If an agent does the work, how does an employee prove their value, and does the manager even see it- A real CHRO dilemma. Two standard performers became superstars with AI, two former high performers fell behind, and bonus season arrived- Rewarding the behavior of using AI versus rewarding valid, validated output- Why AI makes the manager's job harder, not easier- The hidden cost of a thumbs-up task that creates a ripple of rework downstream- Should we scrap the performance review, hand growth to AI plus manager, or build something newLinks mentioned:- Nate B. Jones, Nate's Substack

May 31, 202610 min

Is your AI consultant in the weeds, or just talking strategy?

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletter → https://fullstackhr.ioThree and a half years into the AI shift, most leaders still know AI matters but have no idea how to use it. This episode is about why that gap exists, and why the answer is getting practical.In this episode:Why leaders keep asking for agentic workflows before they've done the basic Copilot grunt workThe uncomfortable question every AI educator should answer: are you in the weeds, or only working "strategically"?Why you can't set new expectations for your team until you understand the new way of working yourselfWhat buyers should demand from anyone selling AI upskillingHow to do this for free with YouTube and disciplined facilitation if you don't want to hire someoneWhy AI should serve your existing strategy, not become a separate "AI strategy"The one-gear Ferrari problem: everyone owns Copilot, almost nobody drives it past first gearThis podcast is hosted by Johannes Sundlo, one of Europe's leading voices on AI adoption in HR and the workplace. He helps organizations move from talking about AI to actually using it, through hands-on workshops, keynotes, and the FullStack HR newsletter.

May 28, 202610 min

AI Bubble or Not? Why Token Costs Aren't What You Think

Subscribe to the FullStack HR newsletterAn impromptu between-episodes take on the AI bubble panic. Johannes cuts through the headlines about rising token costs, Microsoft cutting Claude Code, and Uber's COO questioning AI ROI, and explains what's signal and what's noise.In this episode:- Why nobody can actually call a bubble, and what the market is and isn't telling us right now- The arguments for a bubble (circular money between NVIDIA and OpenAI) versus against it (Anthropic's first profitable quarter)- Why "rising token costs" is a mislabel. Per-token prices are flat or lower, total spend is what's climbing- How Moore's Law underpins the whole thing: more powerful models for the same or lower price- The full context on Uber blowing its AI budget, and why the COO is far more nuanced than the headlines suggest- Why early subsidize-then-correct cycles are normal, same as railroads, electricity, and the internet- How to do the token economics yourself: if an agent solves a problem cheaper than a human at equal quality, you have your answer- Why the model companies are targeting a ~$58 trillion global labor market, and what that means for their valuationsLinks mentioned:- Rapid Response podcast, Andrew Macdonald (Uber COO) interview - Fortune coverage of the Uber AI budget story

May 26, 202610 min

Do We in HR Need to Be More Technical?

The short answer is yes.But yes deserves an explanation. In this episode I make the case for why HR needs to get technically curious right now, and why that has nothing to do with becoming a programmer.We cover what's worth understanding (APIs, databases, MCP servers, and why they matter for HR), why playing around with tools like Claude Code, Codex, Lovable and Replit makes you a sharper buyer of HR tech, and how one curious person on a team can shift an entire organization. It might not be the CHRO. It might be the HR assistant fresh out of university.I share what it felt like walking into Spotify with close to zero backend knowledge, why the threshold for connecting systems has dropped, and why "I'm not the technical type" no longer holds as an excuse.This is where the world is heading. You can ignore it, or you can skate to where the puck is going.

May 21, 20268 min

AI Is a Work Tool, Not a Perk

In this episode, Johannes Sundlo explores a growing issue inside organizations adopting AI: the creation of an “A and B team.”Some employees get access to AI tools, licenses, education, and experimentation opportunities. Others are left behind. Not because of role or capability, but because of interest, visibility, or who happened to push hardest internally.Johannes argues that this is becoming one of the most overlooked leadership and employer branding challenges in AI adoption.He discusses:Why selective AI access creates organizational inequalityThe hidden cultural risks of AI “elite groups”Why the cost argument often falls apart under scrutinyThe chicken-and-egg problem of AI adoptionShadow AI and the risks of unsupported toolsWhy HR cannot leave this entirely to ITHow AI access is increasingly becoming a workplace infrastructure question, not an innovation experimentThis is not a conversation about hype or future speculation. It’s about what happens inside organizations right now when some employees are allowed to work with modern tools while others are expected to continue without them.A practical reflection on leadership, fairness, AI adoption, and the future of work.

March 2, 202613 min

4,000 People Fired for AI. I Have Thoughts.

Block just fired 4,000 people in a single day. Their CEO Jack Dorsey said it was because of AI. The stock jumped 20%. And the internet lost its mind.Half the people say this is pure hype. The other half say AI is coming for all of us. I think both sides are wrong, and I have thoughts.In this video I go through what actually happened at Block, weigh the evidence for and against the AI narrative, talk about why Wall Street loved this so much, and share what I think it means for leaders, employees, and anyone trying to figure out where AI and jobs are actually heading. I also take on the myth that AI skills will protect you from layoffs.