Building a Culture That Scales: Lessons from LinkedIn’s First CHRO, Steve Cadigan

After a summer break, Talk HR is back — and this episode is worth the wait. Harrison and Sam are joined by Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn’s first Chief HR Officer, author of Workquake, and one of the world’s most respected voices on the future of work. Steve helped scale LinkedIn from 400 to 4,000 employees in just three and a half years, building a culture so distinctive it’s still studied at Stanford today. In this conversation, Steve shares how culture can become a company’s ultimate competitive advantage, why traditional views of career and loyalty are outdated, and why turnover—often seen as a liability—can actually be a strategic strength. In this episode:2:06: Introducing Steve Cadigan3:07: Steve’s Accidental Path into HR6:22: Scaling LinkedIn’s Culture10:50: Redefining Culture Beyond “Pillars”14:04: Culture in Today’s AI-Driven Workplace22:17: A New HR Mindset30:13: Closing Thoughts