As Wayfair continues to scale at speed, talent technology has become both an enabler and a potential constraint. In conversation with Avature Founder and CEO Dimitri Boylan, Hannah Rebecchi reflects on how the organization has learned to navigate technology decisions thoughtfully—balancing short-term hiring pressures with a long-term vision for sustainable growth. The discussion explores how continuous improvement, design thinking and restraint can be just as powerful as innovation itself.
5 key takeaways from Wayfair’s HR innovator on continuous improvement in TA technology
- Continuous improvement helps organizations avoid “shiny object” technology traps, especially during periods of rapid growth.
- A cohesive TA tech stack must align with business scale and future demand, not just current pain points.
- User-centered design is critical to HR technology decisions, grounding choices in the real needs of recruiters and candidates.
- Buying versus building technology requires long-term thinking, including roadmap viability and ongoing support.
- TA technology teams add the most value by challenging scale assumptions, helping the business plan beyond the next hiring surge.
Designing for the Long Term
Rebecchi’s perspective is shaped by Wayfair’s evolution from heavily homegrown systems to a more deliberate blend of internal and external technology. Early custom-built tools filled gaps when the market couldn’t, but over time, the cost of fragmentation became clear. For Rebecchi, consolidation isn’t about standardization for its own sake; it’s about clarity. When systems multiply, teams spend their energy patching gaps instead of improving experiences.
What stands out in her approach is patience. Rather than jumping to the next promising solution, Rebecchi emphasizes slowing down to understand user pain points, document decisions and test assumptions against future scale. Asking what hiring looks like at 10,000—or 100,000—new hires reframes technology from a fix to a foundation. It’s in this discipline that Wayfair avoids the illusion of silver bullets and instead builds systems that can evolve alongside the business.
You see this shiny new thing and quickly jump to it, thinking that it’s going to solve all your problems. But it’s not a silver bullet in most cases.”
Hannah Rebecchi
Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Technology, Wayfair
Listen to the full episode to hear Hannah Rebecchi and Dimitri Boylan unpack how thoughtful technology decisions can support scale without sacrificing long-term vision.
