Frits Bigham

Frits Bigham

Head of Talent Acquisition, Waabi

Frits Bigham didn’t begin his career inside a corporate recruiting function. Instead, his path into talent leadership started on college campuses, helping students navigate one of the most important transitions of their lives.

Early in his career, Bigham worked in higher education advising students on internships and job opportunities. At the same time, he partnered closely with employers — guiding them on which events to attend, how to position their brand, and how to connect with the right early-career talent. That experience gave him a rare dual perspective: understanding both what candidates need and how organizations must show up to attract them.

“I really enjoyed helping both sides,” he says. “That’s when I realized recruiting was the right long-term path for me.”

From Campus Recruiting to Cutting-Edge Tech

Bigham moved into corporate recruiting with Dick’s Sporting Goods, focusing on university hiring. There, he brought his campus expertise directly into an in-house environment, helping the company refine where and how it invested in early-career talent.

A major turning point came in 2016 when he made the leap into technical recruiting at Uber. He joined the company’s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), where he helped build university recruiting for the autonomous vehicle division — a fast-moving, highly specialized space.

Over time, his scope expanded beyond campus hiring into industry recruiting, and he eventually led teams covering both university and experienced talent. When Uber’s self-driving unit was acquired by Aurora, Bigham continued supporting recruiting efforts through the transition, gaining deeper experience in recruiting operations along the way.

A few years later, he took another step into emerging technology, joining Waabi — an AI company building next-generation autonomous trucking technology — to lead the recruiting function.

Today, he oversees a team of six, including recruiters and a recruiting coordinator, responsible for scaling talent across the organization during a period of rapid growth.

What Energizes Him Now

While Bigham has hired across multiple industries and growth stages, what motivates him most today is watching people develop — both on his team and across the company.

“I love seeing my team succeed,” he says. “Watching new recruiters come in, do great work, and grow in their careers is incredibly rewarding.”

He also finds fulfillment in the broader impact recruiting has on the business.

“It’s exciting to step back and look at the departments we’ve helped build,” he explains. “Recruiting plays such a big role in shaping what an organization becomes.”

Navigating a More Competitive Talent Market

Looking ahead, Bigham believes the talent landscape will only grow more competitive, particularly as AI startups and emerging tech companies continue to multiply.

“The demand for specialized talent is only going to increase,” he says. “Candidates have more options than ever, so companies have to be clearer about what makes them different.”

For recruiting leaders, that means sharpening the full value proposition — from candidate experience and compensation to role impact and long-term career growth. He notes that candidates increasingly want to understand not just the job in front of them, but the company’s trajectory and why it’s positioned to succeed.

He also expects hiring metrics to shift. Offer acceptance rates, he predicts, may decline as candidates juggle multiple strong opportunities. That will require recruiting teams to rethink capacity planning, pipeline strategy, and pass-through rates to stay on track.

Balancing Technology and the Human Touch

As someone working inside an AI-driven company, Bigham has a front-row seat to how new technologies are reshaping the industry. Still, he sees recruiting as being in the experimentation phase.

“Everyone is testing tools right now — sourcing, note-taking, application review,” he says. “But we haven’t had that big breakthrough moment yet.”

He believes the industry is likely about a year away from major advancements that will significantly change how recruiters work day to day.

“The key right now is getting your hands dirty,” he adds. “You don’t want to miss the boat, but we’re still figuring out what the real game-changers will be.”

Advice for Talent Leaders in 2026

As competition intensifies and technology evolves, Bigham’s advice to other talent leaders is rooted in strategy and storytelling.

“We have to get better at explaining why our company is set up to win,” he says. “Candidates are looking at long-term growth, impact, and how their compensation and career will develop over time.”

For him, the future of recruiting is about blending operational rigor with a compelling narrative — ensuring teams are prepared for tighter markets while still building authentic connections with candidates.

In an era of rapid innovation and rising expectations, Bigham sees talent acquisition not as a support function, but as a central force in shaping the future of organizations.