By Nick Ganzha, Founder & CEO, Acumen International
The global employment industry is built on trust.
Last week, it was shaken by the corporate espionage scandal that quickly made headlines. I don’t need to repeat the details — the media, the executives, and the lawyers have covered them well.
The alleged espionage wasn’t an isolated act; it was part of a broader pattern of hostility between the two companies.
It would be easy to dismiss this as just a high-profile case of corporate misconduct.
But that would overlook the deeper forces at play.
If a major provider allegedly needed to resort to corporate espionage to gain an edge, it suggests that the industry is no longer competing on service quality or expertise.
Our industry may be reaching a point where even the biggest players struggle to differentiate. The pressure for scale and investor-driven hypergrowth is eroding the original essence of global workforce solutions.
Competition or Commoditisation?
Trust — the foundation of our industry — is being overshadowed by short-term tactics and aggressive expansion.
Global EOR and PEO services were never meant to be commodities. They emerged to help businesses and individuals navigate complex, high-stakes challenges in global hiring, compliance, and risk management.
Today, the market is shifting. More players compete on scale, pricing, and automation rather than expertise and reliability.
And increasingly, they rely on mass-produced, AI-generated marketing language that dilutes differentiation even further — making it harder to tell who stands for what or whether anyone stands for anything.
The employment solution space has become increasingly commoditised. Technology is replacing expertise. Pricing wars are eroding margins.
And as differentiation fades, companies stop competing on quality — and start relying on tactics that undermine professional standards.
The real question is whether this is an isolated incident or the beginning of a deeper trend.
Global Employment Is Built on Human and Partner-Centric Thinking
At its core, the espionage scandal wasn’t just about one big company spying on another. It was about the breakdown of trust in an industry that cannot function without it.
Those companies weren’t just competitors — they were also, at times, partners.
This business was built on partnerships, not just competition. It was never meant to be a zero-sum game. Historically, firms have relied on each other to fill gaps in coverage, navigate difficult regulatory environments, and support clients with highly specialised needs.
And that’s the way it should be. No single company can offer a one-size-fits-all solution.
There’s room for mutual growth and shared value — especially given the complexity of global employment and compliance.
This case exposes the darker side of aggressive competition: when growth ambitions override ethical boundaries, the consequences extend beyond legal battles.
Clients, partners, and stakeholders are left questioning the integrity of companies that engage in such practices.
This industry thrives when we build bridges, not when we burn them.
The Wrong Lessons from Silicon Valley
Global employment is not the next ride-hailing app or food delivery platform.
This is not a space where “move fast and break things” is an acceptable strategy.
Yet, in recent years, a Silicon Valley-style mindset has seeped into the global EOR/PEO business — one that prioritises rapid expansion at all costs over sustainable business practices.
Investors push for market dominance. Funding rounds become more important than service quality. Automation is treated as a replacement for human expertise rather than a tool to enhance it.
What should be a long-term commitment to accountability becomes just another lever for scale.
The overreliance on AI and technology, driven by the pressure of investor expectations, is diluting the essence of human resource management itself.
When everything is reduced to algorithms and scale, the human element — the ability to ask the right questions, help, listen, collaborate, and add value — gets lost in the process
The irony is that workforce solutions, by definition, should be about people. But some players forget that in the rush to scale.
The future of global hiring won’t be defined by companies competing over the same service models — it will be shaped by those who see what’s missing and build toward it.
That’s what it looks like to build for the future: identifying what clients will need next and acting on it.
One move strengthens the industry. The other undermines it.
This scandal will pass. The question is whether the global hiring industry will learn the right lesson from it.
Ethics as a Competitive Advantage
I don’t say this as a distant observer — I’ve built an international company from the ground up. No outside investment. No shortcuts. Just the long, steady work of doing things the right way.
At Acumen International, we’ve never chased hypergrowth, fought price wars, or compromised ethics for market share.
What we’ve built and stand by is something different: consistency, deep expertise, and real partnerships that last.
We are honoured to be a human-first global EOR provider, and we don’t just serve clients; we work with partners across the space — other providers, local specialists, experts — because no single company can do it all.
Long-term collaboration beats short-term wins.
Trust and ethics aren’t just marketing slogans. That’s how we work. That’s what defines us.
What the Future of Global Employment Should Look Like
The biggest risk to our field isn’t espionage — it’s the steady shift away from integrity, substance, and human values in the race for scale.
If global employment continues to be driven by short-term gains without respect for the relationships that hold it together — it will erode the very value it claims to create.
This business was never just about contracts, compliance, or payroll. It has always been about people.
Those who forget that will be reminded — not by competitors, but by the consequences.
Reputation isn’t something you trade on — it’s what everything else relies on. Trust isn’t just a value. It’s a responsibility.