Cary Sparrow
Founder
Wagescape
Episode 57
AI's Challenge to HR: Escape Inertia, Lead with Data, Unleash Talent.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleSeptember 10, 2025 · 12:37
Thesis
“The accelerating pace of technological change, particularly with AI, demands that HR leaders adopt an entrepreneurial, data-driven mindset and proactively embrace innovation rather than succumbing to corporate inertia, to unlock talent and labor market transparency.”
Show notes
Cary Sparrow spent his formative years commanding teams on nuclear-powered submarines. Then he moved into corporate HR — and eventually left to build an HR tech company from scratch. The through-line, as unlikely as it sounds, is a consistent obsession with systems that work under pressure, teams that perform without supervision, and data that tells the truth instead of what you want to hear.
As founder and CEO of WageScape, Cary is tackling one of HR's most persistent and underappreciated problems: the data. Not the tools, not the processes, not the technology — the foundational data that all of those tools depend on, which in most organizations is a mess. Until you fix that, he argues, your HR transformation is built on sand. It's a counterintuitive insight in a market full of software vendors promising to solve HR through better interfaces, and it's one of the more clarifying things said on this podcast.
Cary also reflects on what the entrepreneurial leap taught him that corporate life couldn't: the bias toward speed over perfection, the tolerance for iteration, and the profound shift in what accountability actually means when there's no safety net. His advice for HR leaders navigating AI's accelerating impact is characteristically direct — staying passive is not an option.
- Why messy data — not bad tools — is HR's biggest transformation obstacle — and what to do about it before buying anything else
- Lessons from submarine command — what leading under pressure in the Navy teaches about managing people in business
- The entrepreneurial mindset shift — why speed beats perfection when you're building something new
- Transformational feedback that changes careers — the conversation Cary had with a team member that redirected their entire trajectory
- Leadership impact measured in people, not performance — a legacy shift that's worth examining carefully
- AI's urgency for HR leaders — the case for active engagement over passive observation
Previ is an employer network that provides private pricing for employees — saving the average employee $2,200/year on essentials like cell phone service and insurance, at no cost to the company.
What you'll take away
- 1Cultivate self-confidence and a willingness to explore unconventional paths, as fear often limits career potential and talent utilization.
- 2Actively empower and mentor others, especially by identifying and encouraging their business acumen beyond their current roles, as this creates a lasting legacy.
- 3Recognize the fundamental mindset shift required for entrepreneurial ventures (speed, adjustment, momentum) versus corporate roles (slow, risk mitigation) to drive growth.
- 4Prioritize resolving data chaos and establishing transparent labor market data as a critical enabler for HR innovation and strategic decision-making.
- 5Immediately immerse yourself in understanding AI's implications for HR, as its rapid evolution will profoundly reshape work and requires proactive engagement.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The biggest risk in starting a business is 'going slow,' which directly contrasts with the often safest corporate approach of taking things slowly to mitigate risk.
- •Large technology and service providers failed to recognize the imminent opportunity of a 'fully transparent labor market' enabled by HR moving to the cloud, prompting him to found Wagescape.
- •An engineering and nuclear submarine background, while unconventional for HR, uniquely equipped him with an analytics and innovation-focused perspective that many traditional HR professionals lack.
In Cary's words
“You're never going to starve because you're really bright... The world is a great place if you just go after it and have confidence in yourself and your abilities.”
This quote highlights the importance of self-belief and courage in navigating career changes and taking risks.
“I told her that I really admired her business acumen... and thought that she could be a commercial leader someday and not just an HR leader.”
This demonstrates the impact of mentorship and seeing potential in others that they may not see themselves, fundamentally altering career trajectories.
“When you start a business, the worst thing you can do is go slow... But when you're a lot of times on a corporate role, ... the safest thing you can do is go slow.”
This quote sharply contrasts the differing mindsets required for corporate leadership versus entrepreneurial success, emphasizing speed and adaptability in the latter.
“The thing that was the biggest bottleneck for making those kinds of changes was actually, in that kind of environment, was actually data.”
This identifies a critical, often overlooked, impediment to HR innovation and global capability building: the chaotic state of organizational data.
“If you're not heavily into AI and understanding its implications, you need to be. The world of AI is moving faster than the vast majority of us realize.”
This serves as a strong, urgent call to action for HR professionals to prioritize AI literacy and strategic integration.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees are struggling with monthly expenses (mentioned by Speaker A, solved by Previ).
- •Individuals often fail to realize their full talent potential due to fear and reluctance to step outside conventional career paths.
- •Corporate risk-averse mindsets (go slow) directly conflict with the necessary speed and adaptability for business growth and innovation.
- •Large organizations struggle with chaotic, disparate HR data environments, hindering the consolidation and analysis needed for strategic decision-making and new capabilities.
- •Established technology and service providers are often slow to innovate in areas like transparent labor market data, missing critical market opportunities.
- •Many HR professionals are not sufficiently engaged with or understanding the rapidly accelerating and profound implications of AI for their field.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave Wagescape's career journey is different from most HR leaders'
WSJD Live: Starting Out in HR
Jerry Seinfeld says confidence boosts him throughout his career in HR
Jerry, Can You Tell Us About a Career-Defining Moment
Terry says running your own business is a constant array of challenges
Terry Williams on Starting a Business
Gary Johnson transitioned from big corporate to startup entrepreneur focusing on data management
What Made Me Transition From Big Corporate to Startup Entrepreneur
Looking back on your career, what's a legacy that you hope to leave
Harry Blankenship on His Legacy
Terry, what parting advice would you like to share with our broader HR community
Terry's Last Words for HR Professionals
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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