Breaking Job News: U.S. Chambers Sues Trump Over H-1B Visa Fee & AI Interview Cheating

The headlines say the hiring market is broken, but what if it’s not broken, just rewired? In this week’s Breaking Job News, host Pete Newsome digs into the messy middle where technology, talent, and policy collide.

First up: the rise of AI-assisted interview cheating. Job seekers are letting chatbots whisper answers mid-Zoom to sound smarter and more confident. Clever? Maybe. Risky? Absolutely. How is this backfiring by setting false expectations, and why the real power move is using AI to prepare like a pro, not pretend to be one? From refining your responses to mapping company fit, Pete shows how authenticity beats automation every time.

Then, we shift gears to AI as a creative ally, ot a threat. Drawing on Figma CEO Dylan Field’s insights from Lenny’s Podcast, we explore how the most innovative teams use AI as leverage to amplify human strengths, streamline workflows, and elevate the work that actually matters. The catch? Speed. AI capabilities are compounding rapidly, and the people who win will be those who adapt faster than their job descriptions.

We round out the episode with big policy and HR headlines. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is suing over a proposed $100K H-1B visa fee, arguing it could choke innovation, raise costs, and push global talent away. And new SHRM benchmarking data reveals a hidden gap: companies spend 26% of HR budgets on recruiting, but only 20% measure the quality of hire. Pete breaks down the key metrics and explains how tracking ROI can transform recruiting from a cost center into a competitive advantage.

💬 What do you think: will AI help fix the hiring market, or make it even harder to tell what’s real?

News Articles:
1. Job Interview Cheating: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/10/ai-cheating-job-interviews-fraud/684568/
2. Figma CEO on AI: https://www.youtube.com/@UC6t1O76G0jYXOAoYCm153dA 
3. SHRM HR Benchmark Report: https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/shrm-releases-2025-benchmarking-reports--how-does-your-organizat
4. U.S. Chambers sues President Trump: https://www.reuters.com/world/major-us-business-group-sues-over-trumps-100000-h-1b-visa-fee-2025-10-16/

💬 What’s your take?  What’s the one thing you think would make your job a true “quality job”? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Don’t miss out! Subscribe for weekly updates on the latest job news. 

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👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog

Episode Transcript

Pete Newsome (00:00):
Today's job market headlines show us that the
hiring process is gettingweirder by the week.
A technology company CEO tellsus AI isn't coming for our jobs.
The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce just suedPresident Trump over H1B visa
policy changes, and the Societyfor Human Resources Management
says most companies still don'teven measure whether they're

(00:21):
hiring the right people.
But first, job seekers areincreasingly using AI to cheat
interviews, according to anarticle in The Atlantic.
They report that candidates areincreasingly using AI to read
answers from chatbots in realtime while attempting to respond
naturally on Zoom.
The author believes it'sjustified, saying employers have
turned a powerful technologyagainst our prospective

(00:42):
employees who could blame thejob seekers for retaliating.
The article goes on to say thatthe tools being used aren't
very good, but justifies theiruse.
And I'm all for usingtechnology to create efficiency,
but not dishonesty.
That's taking it to an entirelydifferent level.
And I don't think it ends wellif if and when that happens,

(01:02):
because the goal of a job searchisn't to get an interview or
even get hired, it's to secure ajob that meets or ideally will
exceed your personal andprofessional goals.
So you can trick your way in,but you want to be in a place
that you're ultimately going tobe happy in and want to stay.
So that said, I fully agreethat the process is broken, no

(01:25):
question about it.
And that's largely been drivenby one-click apply applications.
As soon as that came out intothe market, it changed
everything for the worse to asignificant degree.
Recruiters are getting floodedwith applications, so they're
not able to respond to cannabis.
It's just created a terriblecycle.
But the answer to that isn't tofight fire with fire, or in this

(01:47):
case, volume with volume.
Quite the opposite.
Because recruiting, hiring, andjob searching all work best
when there's a targeted personalapproach being taken.
And that is a hill I willabsolutely die on.
Now that's a differentdiscussion and a lengthy one
that I'll say for a differenttime and place.
So hit me up if you want tohear more about that.

(02:08):
I love having that discussionat any time.
But for now, yes, the jobsearch process is broken.
AI is becoming increasinglyprevalent, but there's no
winners in that game.
Next up is a very differenttake on AI in the job market.
Figma CEO Dylan Fields says AIis not coming for your job.
This was on Lenny's podcastyesterday, where he essentially

(02:31):
said that AI is helping peopleon his team focus on high-value
work, not replacing them.
He cited an internal Figmasurvey of over 1,100 product
builders, where only 17% said AIis a threat to their role.
I really liked his take onthis.
I'm surprised by those results,but what he said is that you

can look at AI in two ways (02:50):
an opportunity to grow and do more,
or to cut costs and increaseefficiency.
Well, it's pretty clear thathe's looking at it as a way of
doing more and expanding.
But I still am concerned,perhaps more than most, perhaps
significantly more than most,that the future of AI is

(03:11):
happening a lot faster than wethink.
And so while it may not betaking that many jobs right now,
although we know it is incertain instances, I think the
rapidity of this is beingunderestimated.
So it's not really what AI isdoing today, it's the impact
that it will have over the yearsto head.
And so while the use of AI isgoing to open doors that you

(03:33):
know are perhaps beyondimagination right now, that is
so wonderful and exciting.
I'm focused on jobs.
And I think the evolution andspeed at which uh with which
it's improving is going to beunlike anything we've previously
seen.
And yes, it is going to takejobs.
So I am the pessimist aboutthis.

(03:54):
Um listening to uh to DylanField yesterday, guy's clearly
an optimist.
He's a lot smarter than me, soI hope he's right that it's not
going to take as many jobs as Ithink it will, but we'll see how
this plays out over time forsure.
Moving on to policy news, theU.S.
Chamber of Commerce just suedthe Trump administration over
the $100,000 fee on new H1B visaapplications.

(04:18):
For context, the typical feeprior to the change was between
$2,000 and $5,000 per petition,depending on company size.
The chamber argues this new feeis illegal and beyond
presidential authority, sayingit would force companies to
either raise labor costs or stophiring skilled workers
altogether.
Trump defends the fee byclaiming the H1B program has led

(04:39):
to the large-scale replacementof American workers.
There are many who agree withhim about that.
But the chamber warns thatpulling back too hard could make
the U.S.
less competitive in globaltalent markets, which is
something employers acrossindustries are already
struggling with.
Here's my take.
No doubt about that.

(05:01):
But it's been abused to a pointthat it's essentially
unrecognizable from what it wasintended to be.
And so this $100,000 fee forcescompanies to put their money
where their mouths are.
And the truth is, if there's ahire worthy of receiving an H1B,
then this is a cost that youshouldn't mind paying.

(05:22):
It's worth it because these aresuper valuable employees if it's
being used for the type ofworkers that we should be giving
these visas to.
So look, this is every decisionlately with President Trump.
He makes a change and it getschallenged in court.
So that's where it's going toplay out.
We'll see where this oneultimately ends up.

(05:44):
Finally, the Society for HumanResources Management just
released its 2025 benchmarkingreports, which offers a snapshot
of how HR teams managerecruiting and hiring.
Here are a few key findingsthat I thought were interesting
in their press release.
The top skill in demand for thenext five years is critical
thinking.
That's what 71% oforganizations said.

(06:06):
I get that.
We need that now more thanever.
I think that's always been atop skill, but it really stands
out with 71% of organizationssaying it is their number one.
Also, the cost per hire for anon-executive employee is around
$5,500, where the cost ofhiring an executive is around
$36,000, just under.

(06:28):
And on average, companies areallocating 26% of their total HR
budget to recruiting.
Now, none of that's surprising,but here's what is only 20% of
the companies measure thequality of their hires.
So how's that for a disconnect?
Companies are spending morethan a quarter of their HR
budgets on recruiting, yet, fourout of five have no way to

(06:52):
measure how well they'reactually hiring.
That is broken.
Call me crazy, but if you'respending that much, you probably
should measure how effectiveyou're being along the way.
So, those are your headlines.
But before I say goodbye,here's your fun fact.
Before he became the king ofrock and roll, Elvis Presley's
first job was as a truck driverfor a company called Crown

(07:14):
Electric.
I knew Elvis was a truckdriver, but I didn't know who he
worked for.
Crown Electric, I can't help butwonder if they're still around.
How cool would that be to haveElvis as your claim to fame
being a former employee?
Hopefully they are.
So thanks for listening today.
Thank you as always.
Please like and subscribe,share with anyone you think

(07:34):
might be interested.
And I look forward to yourfeedback.
Have a great weekend.
Talk to you next week.