Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow’s comments about eliminating HR have reopened a debate about what the people function is actually meant to do. Reports on Bolt’s restructuring and policy shifts have made the company a reference point in a broader conversation about speed, efficiency and employee protection.
The debate matters because some founders and leaders increasingly see HR as a cost centre unless it directly supports growth. That view resonates with people frustrated by slow processes, but it also risks ignoring the role HR plays in fairness, conflict, hiring standards and manager accountability.
For employees, the absence of strong people systems can quickly become a power problem. Bad HR can become bureaucracy, but weak or missing HR can leave workers with no trusted place to raise concerns. The real issue is not whether old HR models should survive unchanged.
The future does not need more paperwork in the name of people care. It needs better systems that protect employees while helping companies move faster and more fairly.
