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Human Cloud Logo

Human Cloud is the front door to the flexible workforce. Powered by HC 3.2, the world’s most meritocratic talent engine, we help you find, vet, and deploy the best flexible talent solutions in under a week so you can bring your talent strategy from fixed and fragile to flexible and resilient.

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Industry News

Curated Mon/Wed/Fri digest

Industry Insights

Events, deals & industry data

Industry Benchmarks

Annual Flexible Workforce Study

Market Map

Top 5% of the flexible workforce

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Beyond the call

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The Human Cloud Community

Welcome to the only community built exclusively for the entrepreneurs building the flexible workforce. Our members are founders, CEOs, and platform executives building the companies that power the flexible workforce.

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Next EventJoin the next monthly community call

About the community

Making flexible work the new talent standard.

Why we exist

For too long we've been building in silos. Our own industries, our own regions, our own corners of the world — building good businesses, but hitting the same ceilings in growth.

Who runs it

Human Cloud, the industry's connective tissue. Since 2018 we've educated, evangelized, and grown flexible talent into an industry of its own — so a rising tide lifts all solutions in our space.

What we do

For the community, we curate the right people, conversations, and data — so we can all champion this industry together.

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events scheduled yet. Check back soon.

Past Events

September 2026

HC Community Call - September 2026
Members only

HC Community Call - September 2026

Thu, Sep 24Call

First look at the 2026 Flexible Workforce Study data. We launched the study on August 31 with Independently, two surveys, one for companies and one for solutions. This call walks through the early results, how solutions can take part, and what Tony, Jeff, and Matthew make of the data.

Highlights

  • 67% of companies use independent talent for specialized expertise. 17% do it for cost.
  • 50% of companies plan to use more independent talent. 80% of solutions expect demand to rise, so solutions are forecasting ahead of what companies have committed to.
  • 100% of companies name misclassification a top risk and 100% weigh compliance capabilities when picking a provider. Pricing sits at 40%.
  • 17% of companies have a formal classification policy. 50% have no audit-ready file for any contractor.
  • 80% of solutions are investing in AI. 17% of companies are. 100% of companies select on compliance, 20% of solutions name it as a differentiator.
  • 80% of solutions think enterprises buy on cost. 17% of companies use independent talent to cut cost.
  • 100% of solutions say enterprise procurement is their biggest barrier. Pricing and brand awareness are at 20%.
Matthew MottolaMatthew MottolaTony BuffumTony BuffumJeff NugentJeff Nugent

Industry News

The stories moving the flexible-workforce market — curated Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

Wednesday, September 30
  • AGs From 21 States and DC Sue to Scrap $103,256 H-1B Visa Fee

    Attorneys general from 21 states and DC filed suit arguing the new H-1B fee is unlawful and would harm employers, schools, and hospitals that rely on visa holders.

    Staffing Industry Analysts · Sep 29
  • Staffing Hours Hold Near Year-to-Date Highs After Labor Day, SIA Data Shows

    The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator shows temporary staffing hours holding near 2026 highs post-Labor Day, with industrial hours up sharply year-over-year.

    Staffing Industry Analysts · Sep 29

Industry Insights

Everything happening in the flexible-workforce industry — acquisitions, funding, stats, and terminology. Curated by Human Cloud.

Community-curated events across HR, Tech, Workforce & more.

EventDatesLocationCategory
Content Marketing WorldOct 5, 2026 – Oct 7, 2026Denver, COmarketing
HRSouthwest ConferenceOct 12, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026Fort Worth, TX, UShr
SIA Executive Forum EuropeOct 13, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026London, UKworkforce
SaaStock EuropeOct 13, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026Dublin, Irelandstartups
TechCrunch DisruptOct 13, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026San Francisco, CAstartups
Future of Work APACOct 15, 2026 – Oct 16, 2026Singaporeworkforce
HR TechOct 20, 2026 – Oct 22, 2026Las Vegas, NV, UShr

15 upcoming industry events tracked by the community

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Industry Benchmarks

Preliminary

2026 Flexible Workforce Study · in partnership with Independently

Take the solution survey

Key findings

64%
of companies expect to use more independent talent over the next three years
Company survey · Q11
37%
of companies had a contractor compliance issue in the past three years
Company survey · Q34
58%
of solutions are willing to supply talent through a third-party RFP platform
Solution survey · Q14

What buyers value vs what solutions think they value

Share ranking each factor in their top five

Companies Solutions
0%25%50%75%100%Talent qualityCompanies: 78%Solutions: 62%ComplianceCompanies: 71%Solutions: 84%PricingCompanies: 54%Solutions: 31%Companies +23Information securityCompanies: 49%Solutions: 40%System integrationsCompanies: 38%Solutions: 22%Global coverageCompanies: 22%Solutions: 47%Solutions +25Reporting and analyticsCompanies: 18%Solutions: 27%AI capabilitiesCompanies: 12%Solutions: 33%Solutions +21

Key questions

CompaniesCompany survey · Q11

Usage of independent talent, three years out

77% increase · 12% decrease

Increase significantly
46%
Increase moderately
31%
Remain approximately the same
17%
Decrease
12%
Unsure
9%
SolutionsSolution survey · Q30

Enterprise demand, three years out

77% increase · 12% decrease

Increase significantly
46%
Increase moderately
31%
Remain the same
17%
Decrease
12%
Unsure
9%
CompaniesCompany survey · Q46

Evaluating a new solution in the next 12 months

77% likely · 21% unlikely

Very likely
46%
Likely
31%
Neutral
17%
Unlikely
12%
Very unlikely
9%
Unsure
7%
SolutionsSolution survey · Q14

Willing to supply talent through a third-party RFP platform

Yes
46%
Possibly, depending on the opportunity
31%
No
17%
Unsure
12%

All questions

Pick a question on the left to see its chart.

SolutionsOrganization Profile · Solution survey · Q1Previous questionNext question

Which best describes your organization?

Freelancer Platform / Marketplace
46%
Talent Marketplace
31%
Agent of Record (AOR)
17%
Employer of Record (EOR)
12%
Compliance Provider
9%
MSP
7%
Workforce Technology Provider
5%
Staffing Company
4%
Advisory / Consulting
3%
Other
2%

How do you compare to the companies and solutions in the study?

Every question in both surveys, cut by company size, industry and solution type, updated as responses land.

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Respondents receive the full report before it publishes.

Co-authored by Human Cloud and Independently. About the study

Take the solution survey

Market Map

The Human Cloud Market Map · Q4 2026. The top 5% of every segment, updated quarterly.

Download the map

Board-ready PNG at print resolution, no watermark. Brief your team with it or drop it straight into the business case.

The Human Cloud Market Map, Q4 2026

Q4 2026 edition

Download the Market Map

Shape the next edition

A vendor we missed, a wrong placement, a pricing model that has moved. Tell the team that builds the map.

The whole industry. One page.

Every quarterly edition of the Market Map, ready to download, plus a direct line to the team that builds it.

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Resources

Videos, presentations, and more.

Videos

Members only

Behind The Talent Sam Acquisition (Part 2)

Michael Bassin on Simera's CEO preferring to acquire people rather than hire them, and the vision that made the deal make sense: proprietary verified candidate data and AI-guided candidate profiles.

Shared by Michael Bassin

Members only

Behind The Talent Sam Acquisition (Part 1)

Michael Bassin on why Simera acquired Talent Sam: the South Africa foothold, the headcount, the post-hire HR function they had not built, and why the deal was structured around bringing the founding team onto the executive bench.

Shared by Michael Bassin

Members only

The State of AI — Cory Hymel

Cory Hymel educates the community on the current state of AI.

Shared by Cory Hymel

Members only

How to Win Business From LLMs

Martin Plejdrup (Worksome) presents on how to position your business to be recommended by AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

Shared by Martin Plejdrup

Members only

How To Win & Grow Through RFPs

Full webinar recording: Matthew Mottola on making RFPs a growth driver — breaking the $10M ceiling, the buyer on-ramp, the 5-day process, and how to win.

Shared by Human Cloud

Presentations

Members only

September, HC Community Call

Executive briefing on the 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study: preliminary results from companies and workforce solutions, fielded Aug 31 to Sep 21 with Independently. Presented by Matthew Mottola with analysis from Tony Buffum and Jeff Nugent.

Members only

Executive Briefing: How Leading Organizations Are Rethinking Flexible Talent

Procurement executive briefing on how leading organizations are building flexible talent into their workforce strategy.

Shared by Human Cloud

Members only

August, HC Community Call

The summer blowout deck: platform stats and what buyers are budgeting for this fall (Matthew Mottola, Tony Buffum), fall event planning with Ray Culver, two-click-to-talent programs with John Healy, and The Bench on rebuilding their platform with AI.

Members only

July, HC Community Call

HC Community Call deck: why solutions should go through the front door rather than around it. Glen Hodgson on the EU Platform Work Directive and the December 2, 2026 deadline, and Jeff Nugent on compliance as a go-to-market advantage.

Members only

July 1, State of the Freelance Industry

Breaks down the state of the freelance industry, looking at the lessons the freelance world has for our now flexible talent world

Shared by Human Cloud

Members only

What AI Will Do To Talent

Executive briefing on AI's impact on the future of talent and workforce transformation.

Shared by Human Cloud

Members only

The Business Case For Flexible Talent

For Work Summit presentation on building the business case for flexible talent models.

Shared by Human Cloud

Members only

What is Flexible Talent

Introduction to flexible talent — what it is and why it matters.

Shared by Human Cloud

Members only

How to Win Business From LLMs — Slides

Presentation slides on AI visibility and generative engine optimization.

Shared by Martin Plejdrup

Members only

How to Make RFPs a Growth Driver

Matthew Mottola on turning RFPs into a growth engine: breaking the $10M ceiling, why RFPs are the buyer's on-ramp, the 5-day path from need to partner, and what makes a winning response.

Shared by Human Cloud

This is a closed-door community.

Membership is reserved for the top-performing solutions on the platform — the ones setting the standard. No public links. No open invites. If you're here, you earned it.

1

Get Accepted

Top 20% of solutions on the platform are invited to join. You can't buy your way in.

2

Calendar Invite Appears

Monthly calls land in your calendar automatically. No forums, no public meeting links.

3

Show Up

That's it. No busy work. Just show up and connect with your peers.

Who's leading this.

Practitioners, not moderators.

Tony Buffum

Tony Buffum

Co-Founder, Human Cloud

Former public company CHRO. Led workforce transformations across Stanley Black & Decker, Koch Industries, and 50+ Fortune 500 companies. Designed and scaled enterprise flexible talent programs before the category existed.

Book time with Tony
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Matthew Mottola

Matthew Mottola

Co-Founder & CEO, Human Cloud

Led Microsoft's signature flexible workforce product and helped Microsoft scale their flexible workforce to $50m+ in annual flexible talent spend. Built Human Cloud to make that playbook accessible to every company.

Book time with Matthew
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Plus an expert network of

Leaders from every leading talent solution in the industry.

Member perks.

Beyond the monthly call.

Access to be highlighted on the HC Pod

Share your story with the industry. Book a recording session whenever you like.

Book with Tony & Matthew
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Book with Matthew
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Exclusive Advisory

Direct access to Matthew for go-to-market strategy, partnerships, and industry challenges. Book 1:1 sessions at any time.

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Membership is determined by industry leadership.

Community Call Highlights

Why Flexible Talent Is Hard To Scale
Members only

Why Flexible Talent Is Hard To Scale

The Science Behind Winning RFPs
Members only

The Science Behind Winning RFPs

The Startup Graveyard And The Venture Cliff
Members only

The Startup Graveyard And The Venture Cliff

Seamless Partnerships For Talent And Clients
Members only

Seamless Partnerships For Talent And Clients

The EU Platform Work Directive And Its 2026 Deadline
Members only

The EU Platform Work Directive And Its 2026 Deadline

Navigating Enterprise Procurement
Members only

Navigating Enterprise Procurement

Rewriting The Rules Of How Work Gets Done
Members only

Rewriting The Rules Of How Work Gets Done

Entrepreneurship In The Policy Ecosystem
Members only

Entrepreneurship In The Policy Ecosystem

Compliance As A Competitive Advantage
Members only

Compliance As A Competitive Advantage

One Bad Intake Experience Brands The Whole Industry
Members only

One Bad Intake Experience Brands The Whole Industry

AI In Action: Show Your Use Cases
Members only

AI In Action: Show Your Use Cases

No One Gets Fired For Hiring Accenture
Members only

No One Gets Fired For Hiring Accenture

Flexible Talent: The Key To Innovation
Members only

Flexible Talent: The Key To Innovation

From Months To Days: How Buyers Revolutionize Sourcing
Members only

From Months To Days: How Buyers Revolutionize Sourcing

Buyers Want Direct Answers With Numbers
Members only

Buyers Want Direct Answers With Numbers

What Buyers Want: Relevancy, Process, Numbers
Members only

What Buyers Want: Relevancy, Process, Numbers

Transforming Buyer Journeys From Months To Days
Members only

Transforming Buyer Journeys From Months To Days

Breaking The $10M Ceiling In The Industry
Members only

Breaking The $10M Ceiling In The Industry

RFPs: The Easy On-Ramp To Flexible Talent
Members only

RFPs: The Easy On-Ramp To Flexible Talent

AI's Role In Marketplace Growth
Members only

AI's Role In Marketplace Growth

Adaptability: Key To Market Success
Members only

Adaptability: Key To Market Success

AI Agent Management Challenges
Members only

AI Agent Management Challenges

AI's Role In The Freelance Marketplace
Members only

AI's Role In The Freelance Marketplace

Startup Funding Dilemmas & Service-Based Businesses
Members only

Startup Funding Dilemmas & Service-Based Businesses

AI: Bridging Aspiration & Execution
Members only

AI: Bridging Aspiration & Execution

RFPs: Strategic Investment vs. Job Req
Members only

RFPs: Strategic Investment vs. Job Req

AI Leadership: Change Management Challenges
Members only

AI Leadership: Change Management Challenges

The Freelance Industry's Growth & Challenges
Members only

The Freelance Industry's Growth & Challenges

Time In Production: A Key Valuation Factor
Members only

Time In Production: A Key Valuation Factor

Valuing AI Talent: Quality Over Quantity
Members only

Valuing AI Talent: Quality Over Quantity

UK Post-COVID Cage Economy & Freelancing Trends
Members only

UK Post-COVID Cage Economy & Freelancing Trends

Leadership Redefined: Momentum Over Experience
Members only

Leadership Redefined: Momentum Over Experience

Automating Customer Feedback with Human Cloud
Members only

Automating Customer Feedback with Human Cloud

A Vision for Structural Change in the Industry
Members only

A Vision for Structural Change in the Industry

AI Accelerates Skills-Based Hiring
Members only

AI Accelerates Skills-Based Hiring

AI's Role in Skills-Based Work Design
Members only

AI's Role in Skills-Based Work Design

New Independent Contractor Rule Proposed
Members only

New Independent Contractor Rule Proposed

AI's Surprising Impact on Software Engineers
Members only

AI's Surprising Impact on Software Engineers

AI: Not Just Statistical Modeling
Members only

AI: Not Just Statistical Modeling

AI-Augmented Engineers Lead the Job Market
Members only

AI-Augmented Engineers Lead the Job Market

Portable Benefits for Independent Workers
Members only

Portable Benefits for Independent Workers

AI: Redesign, Not Replace
Members only

AI: Redesign, Not Replace

  • U.S. Independent Workforce Hits Record 74.9 Million, MBO Partners by Beeline Finds

    The 16th annual State of Independence study finds full-time independent work up 114% since 2020, with nearly 5.8 million independents now earning six figures.

    PR Newswire · Sep 28
  • AI Could Push 11 Million U.S. Workers Into New Careers by 2035, McKinsey Warns

    A McKinsey Global Institute analysis estimates 6.5% of the U.S. workforce may need to switch occupations by 2035 as AI reshapes jobs while also creating new ones.

    CNN Business · Sep 29
  • Google Data Center Leader Warns of Massive Skilled-Trades Shortage

    A Google data center executive says the AI infrastructure boom is straining the skilled-trades pipeline, with huge unmet demand for electricians and other tradespeople.

    Fortune · Sep 29
  • U.S. Job Openings Fall to 7.1 Million in August, Lowest Since March

    JOLTS data show job openings dropped to 7.079 million, missing forecasts and signaling continued cooling in hiring demand even as layoffs stay low.

    Investing.com (Reuters) · Sep 29
  • Small Business Job Growth Holds Steady in September, Paychex Finds

    The Paychex Small Business Employment Watch shows hiring near its 2026 average, with wage growth continuing even as businesses hold headcount flat.

    GlobeNewswire (Paychex) · Sep 29
  • The industry, curated — three times a week

    Apply to the Community

    Executives, founders, and operators across staffing, freelance platforms, direct sourcing, SOW, and AI-powered workforce solutions.

    Plus our Executives in Residence

    Cory Hymel

    Cory Hymel

    AI EIR

    Jonathan Wolfson

    Jonathan Wolfson

    US Policy EIR

    Brian Hoffmeyer

    Brian Hoffmeyer

    VMS EIR

    Brad Collins

    Brad Collins

    M&A EIR

    Matt Coatney

    Matt Coatney

    AI EIR

    Jonathan Younger

    Jonathan Younger

    Freelance Economy EIR

    Sales EIR

    Marketing EIR

    EU Policy EIR

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    Early Access to New Features

    Community members get first access to new platform features. Right now, only the community can access the AI SDR — our AI-powered sales development tool built for solutions.

    Expert-Led Topics

    Every session is shaped by what matters most to members right now.

    • AI & Automation
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