Transform 2025 brought together the brightest minds in HR, People Ops, and workplace tech to explore what's next for the world of work. As the energy of the conference settles, one thing is clear: Performance management is at a turning point—and it's no longer just about reviews. It's about empowering people, supporting managers, and driving real results.

Topicflow was on the ground in Las Vegas having conversations, sharing our story, and learning from the leaders who are actively shaping what comes next.

Here's what you need to know from the event:

Performance Conversations Are Changing—And We're Here for It

While the main stage at Transform 2025 was dominated by discussions around AI, skills-based orgs, and the future of HR, many of our one-on-one conversations circled back to a shared pain point: performance management still feels clunky, disconnected, and hard to adopt.

As we spoke with CHROs, People leaders, and founders, a pattern emerged: teams are being slowed down by the lack of performance data that's both meaningful and actionable. When we demonstrated how Topicflow integrates with tools like Slack, Asana, Salesforce, and GitHub—automatically generating Coaching Insights after meetings and reviews—it clicked. This is what's needed to reimagine performance management and bring it up to speed.

It reinforced something we've believed for a while: the tools may be evolving, but the core challenge remains—how do we bring performance management into the flow of work, thereby driving employee development and stronger business results?

The AI Conversation: Hype or Help?

AI was everywhere at Transform 2025. From keynotes to booth demos, the focus on AI's role in the future of work was unmistakable.

But the sentiment was clear: HR leaders aren't looking for magic buttons—they want meaningful support. They're investigating how AI can truly boost manager effectiveness — not just power another chatbot.

That's exactly where Topicflow goes beyond the basics. Our Coaching Insights automatically pull in context from the tools your team already uses—Slack messages, Asana tasks, Salesforce activity, GitHub updates—so managers don't waste hours digging for information. Instead of manually piecing together agendas,, they get AI-generated summaries, key themes, and prioritized talking points pulled directly from real work.

And it doesn't stop there: Topicflow tracks follow‑through on each coaching conversation, surfacing next‑step prompts and progress updates so managers and ICs keep moving forward. It's AI built to deliver multiple layers of impact — designed to save time, drive better conversations, sharper feedback, and measurable performance gains.

Manager Effectiveness Is the New North Star

Throughout the event, conversations kept coming back to one theme: supporting managers.

Managers are the glue in most organizations—but they're under-supported and overwhelmed by disconnected tools. Traditional performance management tools still rely on manual record‑keeping — and as managers' spans of control grow, administrative work quickly becomes overwhelming.

That's why so many leaders gravitated toward Topicflow's manager-first approach. Our platform is designed to reduce admin work for everyone, provide real-time coaching prompts, and help managers keep performance conversations relevant and impactful—all without needing a separate playbook.

Supporting managers isn't a “nice to have” anymore—it's directly tied to improving business results.

People Still Power the Future of Work

Despite the buzz around AI and automation, what stood out most at Transform 2025 was the power of human connection.

From spontaneous hallway chats to shared meals and community events, the value of in-person connection was front and center. These unscripted moments often sparked the most meaningful conversations – conversations that reminded us why performance management is, at its core, about people.

Our CEO, Amin Palizban, had the opportunity to connect with tech leaders at the OMERS Ventures HR Confidential event, and our team had countless insightful exchanges at breakfasts and happy hours throughout the event. These moments reinforced that while technology plays a crucial role, it's the relationships and shared purpose that drive real transformation.

The Path Forward

After three jam-packed days of conversations, demos, and insights, we left Transform 2025 more confident than ever: organizations are ready for a new era of performance.

Teams are looking for tools that reduce complexity, increase clarity, and actually help people grow. They want to support their managers, tap into the power of AI responsibly, and bring performance conversations closer to where work actually happens.

At Topicflow, we're building for exactly that future.

Let's Keep the Conversation Going

If we didn't get the chance to connect at Transform—or if you're curious about how Topicflow fits into your performance strategy—we'd love to talk.

Explore how our AI‑driven platform embeds performance management into the flow of work, enabling your teams to enhance productivity and achieve stronger business results.

👉Learn more about Topicflow or book a platform demo to see exactly how we're reimaging performance management.