The global HR technology landscape witnessed groundbreaking developments this May, as UNLEASH America 2025 unfolded in Las Vegas, Nevada. Known as one of the fastest-growing and most influential HR events worldwide, UNLEASH America continues to serve as the premier hub where human resource leaders, tech innovators, and global enterprises converge to shape the future of work.
This year’s conference, held from May 6 to May 8, 2025, brought together key stakeholders from across industries, including global giants like Google, Microsoft, McDonald’s, Lenovo, PepsiCo, SAP, and Mastercard. These companies participated as speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees, adding immense credibility and insight to the event.
Spotlight on Innovation: UNLEASH America 2025 Sets the Tone
UNLEASH America isn’t just a typical HR event—it’s a powerful blend of technology, innovation, and strategic thought leadership. This year’s theme revolved around how modern organizations can leverage emerging technologies like AI, data analytics, and automation to optimize workforce management and enhance employee experience.
One of the event’s standout features was the HR Tech Awards 2025, presented in collaboration with Lighthouse Research & Advisory. These awards recognize excellence in the development and implementation of HR technology across various functional areas.
HR Tech Awards 2025: Celebrating Excellence in Human Resource Innovation
The HR Tech Awards 2025 celebrated companies and technologies that are transforming human capital management, employee engagement, and talent strategy. The awards spanned seven core categories:
1. Core HR/Workforce Management
One Model—Best Advance in Practical AI
Paycor—Best Comprehensive Solution
2. Employee Experience
Culture Amp—Best Analytics, Measurement, and Business Impact Solution
HiBob—Best Midsize Business-Focused Solution
3. Talent Acquisition
SmartRecruiters—Best Advance in Practical AI
Dayforce—Best Frontline-Focused Solution
JazzHR by Employ—Best Small-Business-Focused Solution
4. Talent Analytics
PeopleInsight by HireRoad—Best Analytics, Measurement, and Business Impact Solution
Joveo—Best Talent Intelligence Solution
5. Talent Development
Atana – Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution
Cornerstone—Best Talent Intelligence Solution
6. Talent Management
Betterworks—Best Comprehensive Solution
Phenom—Best Talent Intelligence Solution
7. Total Rewards/Wellbeing
Wagestream—Best Frontline-Focused Solution
Financial Finesse—Best Innovative or Emerging Tech Solution
These award winners highlight a growing trend in HR: technology is no longer optional—it’s essential for optimizing workforce performance and sustaining a competitive edge.
Rippling Makes Headlines with $450M Series G Funding Round
Although Rippling didn’t take home an award this year, the HR tech unicorn made waves by announcing a massive $450 million Series G funding round, propelling its valuation to an impressive $16.8 billion.
Investors in this round included high-profile names such as Elad Gil, GIC, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Sands Capital, Baillie Gifford, Y Combinator, and several existing stakeholders. As part of the funding strategy, Rippling will repurchase up to $200 million in equity from current and former employees, underlining its commitment to internal stakeholders while preparing for future expansion.
Rippling’s Mission: Centralizing the Employee Lifecycle
According to Parker Conrad, co-founder and CEO of Rippling, the platform’s mission is to streamline the employee lifecycle by managing HR, IT, and finance operations on a unified platform.
“Products built on top of a rich graph of organizational data—covering employees, devices, applications, and workflows—offer more intelligent, efficient, and scalable solutions,” said Conrad.
Rippling’s integrated approach enables businesses to automate onboarding, payroll, benefits, device provisioning, app access, and role-based permissions—all from a single dashboard. This eliminates the inefficiencies of juggling multiple disjointed tools and enhances organizational agility.
Historical Funding Milestones
Rippling’s funding trajectory reflects growing investor confidence in its vision:
- March 2023: $500M raised in Series E (valuation: $11.25B)
- April 2024: $200M raised in Series F (valuation: $13.5B)
- May 2025: $450M raised in Series G (valuation: $16.8B)
With this fresh capital, Rippling plans to accelerate global expansion, enhance R&D, and introduce innovative solutions that push the boundaries of modern workforce management.
Microsoft Unveils AI-Driven “People Skills” Feature in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Artificial intelligence remains a cornerstone of transformation across industries, and the HR sector is no exception. At UNLEASH America 2025, Microsoft stole the spotlight by announcing powerful AI enhancements to its Microsoft 365 Copilot suite, aimed specifically at improving employee development and organizational intelligence.
People Skills: The Next Evolution in Workforce Intelligence
Microsoft officially rolled out People Skills—previously known as Skills in Viva—as a new data layer within Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Viva ecosystem. This tool is engineered to help organizations understand, develop, and manage employee skills more effectively.
With people skills, HR leaders can:
- Generate personalized skill profiles for employees.
- Identify organizational skills gaps.
- Facilitate career development through targeted learning opportunities.
- Integrate skill insights into strategic workforce planning.
These capabilities align perfectly with the modern enterprise’s need for agile, skills-based workforce planning.
Meet the New AI “Skills Agent”
In addition to People Skills, Microsoft introduced the Skills Agent—a digital assistant that supports both employees and leaders in their learning, growth, and collaboration journeys.
For employees, the Skills Agent offers:
- Personalized learning paths
- Peer expertise discovery
- Recommendations on skill-building resources
- Deeper understanding of organizational structure
For leaders, it provides:
- Insight into team capabilities
- Strategic workforce alignment
- Data-driven planning tools for reskilling and upskilling
Skills Landscape Report: Actionable Insights for Business Leaders
Another key feature unveiled is the Skills Landscape Report, part of Copilot Analytics. This robust tool provides a comprehensive overview of an organization’s skill distribution through four insightful report pages:
- Introduction Page—General skill inference and organization-level insights
- Top Skills Page—Commonly used skills and domains of expertise
- Deep Dive Page—Detailed breakdown of skill levels, gaps, and employee distribution
- Hierarchy Page (Beta)—Structural overview of skills across departments and teams
This reporting suite empowers leaders to make data-driven decisions, ensuring talent strategies align with evolving business needs.
HR Tech 2025: AI, Investment, and Innovation Lead the Way
The synergy of announcements from Rippling and Microsoft during UNLEASH America 2025 marks a turning point in HR tech evolution. Whether it’s Rippling’s unified platform approach or Microsoft’s AI-powered skill mapping, the focus is clear: enhance the employee experience while enabling organizations to stay agile and competitive.
Future Outlook
The HR technology industry is moving toward hyper-personalization, AI integration, and seamless automation. Here’s what we can expect in the coming months:
- Increased funding for HR tech startups focused on AI and analytics
- Wider adoption of skills-based hiring and internal mobility tools
- Deeper integration of HR platforms with IT, finance, and operations
As organizations continue to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce, embracing these innovations will be essential.
Final Thoughts: Who’s Leading the HR Tech Race?
With Rippling’s aggressive expansion plans and Microsoft’s relentless AI innovation, the HR tech sector is more dynamic than ever. Rippling is cementing its place as a go-to platform for centralized HR, IT, and finance workflows, while Microsoft is empowering enterprises with smart, skill-centric AI tools.
The question is no longer if companies should invest in HR technology—but rather, which platform best aligns with their goals for talent acquisition, development, and retention.
