The HR Tech Conference once again turned Las Vegas into the global stage for the future of people and culture. This year’s event demonstrated just how fast the HR technology market is evolving. Artificial intelligence dominated the floor, ecosystem consolidation accelerated, and conversations focused on measurable outcomes rather than hype. While the overlap with Workday Rising tilted the mix more toward vendors and investors than customers, the demand signals from enterprises were loud and clear. Semos Cloud Milestones For Semos Cloud, HR Tech 2025 was a pivotal week. Deloitte Partnership: We signed a landmark agreement to support Deloitte’s next-generation recognition and total rewards needs for more than 200,000 employees. This partnership validates recognition as critical business infrastructure and highlights Deloitte’s leadership in building boundaryless HR experiences. Customer Engagements: Conversations with HR and IT leaders from McDonald’s, Coca-Cola KONA, Sutherland, and Border States reinforced the same message we hear consistently. Enterprises want to simplify their technology stack, unify recognition and rewards, and ensure these programs drive measurable retention and engagement. Partnership Growth: We deepened ties with Omnia, Alight, TaskHuman, G-P, and others. Strengthening these partnerships is central to our ecosystem-first strategy. Investor Interest: The investor buzz was palpable. From deal rooms to impromptu coffee shop meetings, we engaged with firms like Main Capital, DrakeStar, and Venero Capital. The appetite for outcome-driven HR solutions is strong, but investors are filtering for solutions that prove adoption inside the flow of work. On a more personal note, our colleague Ilija Kiroski celebrated his birthday during the event. It was a timely reminder that culture is not created in technology alone. It lives in the human moments that bind teams together. Eight Lessons HR Leaders Should Take Away 1) Ecosystems are consolidating The era of fragmented point solutions is fading. SAP’s acquisition of SmartRecruiters and Workday’s new bets in skills and data signaled that the Big Three HCM providers are tightening their ecosystems. This matters for every enterprise because success will increasingly depend on embedding solutions directly into the platforms employees already use. What this means for leaders: Audit your HR tech stack. Retire duplicate systems and prioritize vendors who offer certified, workflow-level embeds into SAP, Workday, or Oracle. Integration depth will define resilience in the next wave of transformation. 2) AI agents are the new baseline, but proof of impact is the differentiator AI agents dominated keynotes and product demos, promising to draft recognition messages, suggest feedback, or automate performance workflows. Yet behind the excitement, leaders expressed skepticism about “AI theater.” A generate button without measurable outcomes is noise, not value. What this means for leaders: Require any vendor to tie AI features to business outcomes. Ask for proof of reduced cycle time, higher recognition quality, or measurable productivity gains. Treat AI agents as tools for outcomes, not accessories for demos. 3) Investors are back, but capital follows adoption Investor activity surged at HR Tech 2025. However, the focus was not on flashy startups but on providers demonstrating adoption within core workflows. Investors are prioritizing solutions embedded in HCM platforms and proven to deliver ROI at scale. What this means for leaders: Frame internal business cases in financial terms. Show how recognition and rewards reduce attrition costs, how feedback tools shorten performance review cycles, and how communication platforms prevent productivity loss. Speak the language of CFOs. 4) Customers are calling for simplification The show floor hosted more than 400 exhibitors, but HR leaders made it clear they are fatigued by complexity. Employees do not want more logins or disjointed apps. They want recognition, communication, and development seamlessly integrated into the systems they already use. What this means for leaders: Map the end-to-end employee journey across recognition, feedback, communications, and rewards. Identify redundancies and gaps. Invest in solutions that unify multiple employee experience levers rather than adding to the clutter. 5) Beware of AI hype that does not deliver The Sphere’s Wizard of Oz show became a metaphor for many attendees. Spectacle without substance leaves audiences disengaged. In HR tech, the same risk applies to AI features that look innovative but fail to create real value for employees or managers. What this means for leaders: Build an internal “AI evidence gate.” Only adopt AI capabilities that demonstrate fairness, clarity, and measurable improvement. Do not be seduced by features that solve for novelty rather than outcomes. 6) Data discipline is the new differentiator Workday emphasized the centrality of clean, curated datasets to its AI roadmap. Whether your organization runs Workday, SAP, or Oracle, the lesson is universal. Poor data quality leads to poor AI outcomes. Skills ontologies, identity resolution, and consistent data governance are no longer optional. What this means for leaders: Invest in data quality as a strategic initiative. Build clear ownership for skills data, enforce SLAs for identity resolution, and regularly audit your HCM data. Your AI strategy will only be as strong as your data foundation. 7) Recognition and rewards are business-critical infrastructure Conversations with global enterprises confirmed that recognition and rewards are no longer seen as perks. They are foundational to culture, engagement, and retention. Deloitte’s decision to scale recognition across 200,000 employees reflects a growing consensus: recognition is the infrastructure that sustains employee experience. What this means for leaders: Establish metrics that connect recognition to business outcomes. Create a recognition quality index and link it directly to attrition, engagement, and productivity scores. Automate service anniversaries, life events, and performance-based recognition so that no moment of value is missed. 8) Plan now for a more customer-centric 2026 This year’s overlap with Workday Rising limited customer presence at HR Tech. That will not be the case in 2026. With customers back in full force, the competitive bar will be higher, and enterprises will expect proof of value, not promises. What this means for leaders: Prepare now by aligning with your ecosystem partners. Bring embedded, in-HCM demos that show real outcomes. Co-market with platform anchors to demonstrate relevance and trust. 2026 will be the year of customer-first proof points. Final Thoughts HR Tech 2025 revealed an industry at an inflection point. Customers want clarity, consolidation, and measurable outcomes. Investors are demanding proof, not promises. Ecosystem anchors are defining the rules of engagement. For Semos Cloud, this year’s event was both a celebration of milestones and a reaffirmation of our mission. Our partnership with Deloitte, our conversations with leading enterprises, and our strengthened partner ecosystem all confirm the same truth. Recognition, rewards, communication, and growth are not side programs. They are the infrastructure of culture and the drivers of performance. As we look ahead to SAP Connect, UNLEASH Paris, and Workday Rising EMEA, our focus remains clear. We will continue embedding recognition and rewards directly in the flow of work, powered by AI that delivers real outcomes, for enterprises ready to build cultures of lasting impact. Discover how recognition and rewards drive measurable outcomes in the flow of work Request demo Related posts Semos Cloud at Workday Rising 2025: Lessons From Our First Year as a Partner read more Unlocking Greater Value from Your Human Capital Management with Semos Cloud read more Enterprise Solutions for SAP SuccessFactors, Workday & Oracle HCM read more
