A shift in hiring and workplace assessment practices is emerging as AI changes labor expectations and as companies adopt stricter screening methods. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn described a hiring test that requires candidates to treat a taxi driver well on the ride to interviews, arguing that conduct toward lower-status people predicts workplace behavior. The approach reflects how employers increasingly value cultural and behavioral signals as hiring becomes more competitive and longer processes add more rounds and assessments. The article positions the “taxi-driver test” as an example of assessment mechanics that can become a proxy for judgment—even as AI tools reshape job roles. For higher education leaders, the hiring lens matters because campus career services and employer partnerships increasingly translate “soft skill” expectations into measurable selection criteria, influencing what universities prioritize in career readiness and internship preparation.