The 2026 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers includes 32 new honorees—a sign that influence in HR tech is expanding beyond established analysts to executives, podcasters and community builders. Who is shaping how your organization approaches AI and work? PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., July 14, 2026- HR

Crosschq has announced the acquisition of Traitify, a scientifically grounded assessment platform, to advance its AI-driven hiring intelligence system. The deal integrates Traitify’s validated behavioral and cognitive assessments—built on industrial-organizational psychology frameworks such as

Deel launches The Pitch, a $15M global startup tournament. 20,000+ seed-stage startups, 7 regional finals, 100 winners get $50K each, and 10 global champions receive $1M. Backed by J.P. Morgan, a16z, Stripe. Final in May 2026. A merit-based alternative to traditional VC. NEW YORK---Deel, the

Workday launched Military Skills Mapper inside Workday Recruiting, translating military service into civilian skills for recruiters. 200,000+ service members transition yearly. Feature analyzes service history + job context to surface leadership & technical capabilities. Rollout planned for fall

Workday is acquiring Sana for US$1.1 billion, bringing Sana’s AI-native learning and agent platform into Workday’s portfolio of over 11,000 global customers. The move adds no-code agent building, knowledge tools and automated workflows to Workday’s HR & Finance cloud, with the deal expecte

UKG, a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management, has launched UKG Ventures, a strategic investment fund focused on the next generation of worktech innovators. The fund targets early to growth-stage startups that align with UKG’s vision of the Workforce Operating Platform �

ADP has acquired Pequity, a 2019-founded compensation management platform, in a move to enhance its global HR and payroll capabilities. Pequity’s AI-powered tools combine spreadsheet familiarity with enterprise-grade automation, offering budgeting, scenario planning, and pay analytics for complex

Workday has unveiled its new Custom AI Model Library for the Workday Contract Intelligence Agent, powered by Evisort. With over 120 pre-built AI models, this release enhances Workday’s enterprise AI capabilities by enabling automatic contract analysis across HR, Finance, Legal, and IT. The library

Parafin and Gusto have partnered to launch Payroll Bridge, a payroll line of credit designed to help small businesses cover payroll during cash flow gaps. Integrated directly into Gusto’s platform, the solution ensures employees are paid on time, even when short-term liquidity is strained. Payroll

Central, a Y Combinator-backed startup, has raised $8.6 million in seed funding led by First Round Capital to build the first AI-native back-office platform for startups. Unlike traditional HR and finance tools, Central integrates directly into Slack to automate payroll, benefits, compliance, accoun