Published: May 11, 2026 | HR Leadership Weekly
In a move that signals the HR tech industry’s accelerating shift from training delivery to performance measurement, Learning Pool announced the acquisition of Confirm on May 11, consolidating AI-powered people insights into a unified talent intelligence ecosystem.
The acquisition marks one of the most significant consolidations in the learning and performance technology space in 2026, bringing together Learning Pool’s learning management and content capabilities with Confirm’s Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) platform to create what the company calls a “Talent Flywheel” — a closed-loop system that connects learning, engagement, and measurable business outcomes.
Why It Matters
Traditional HR tech has largely focused on delivering training: learning management systems track course completion, compliance platforms ensure regulatory checkboxes are ticked, and L&D budgets are measured in hours of content produced. But what happens after the training ends? Which employees actually apply what they learned? Who in the organization has the knowledge to help others succeed?
Those questions have been harder to answer. Most organizations rely on manager feedback, self-reports, or post-training surveys to gauge whether training made a difference. Confirm’s platform, grounded in ONA, flips the model by analyzing how work actually flows across a company — mapping real working relationships, identifying influential employees, and quantifying impact beyond subjective bias or office politics.
“Too many talent decisions are still based on perception, not evidence,” said David Murray, CEO of Confirm, in a statement about the acquisition. “Our platform gives leaders clear insight into who is driving real business impact — including the quiet contributors who rarely get the recognition they deserve, and the high-potential people whose development gaps aren’t visible until it’s too late.”
The ONA Revolution
Organizational Network Analysis has been gaining traction in HR tech for several years, but it has yet to achieve mainstream adoption. The technology works by analyzing communication patterns, collaboration data, and workflow metadata to create a map of who actually works with whom — not just the org chart hierarchy.
The result is often surprising: employees who sit low on the org chart but serve as critical nodes in the knowledge network; teams that appear well-staffed on paper but lack the right internal connections to execute effectively; and “quiet contributors” — high performers whose cross-functional impact is invisible to traditional management structures.
For Learning Pool, acquiring Confirm means adding a real-world performance layer to its existing ecosystem. The company already owns WorkStep, WorkRamp, and Elucidat — platforms covering employee communication, learning management, and content authoring. Adding Confirm’s ONA engine gives them the ability to connect learning activities to actual workplace performance, closing a gap that has frustrated L&D leaders for years.
“The biggest challenge for any leader today is knowing exactly where workforce development will have the greatest impact,” said Benoit de la Tour, CEO of Learning Pool. “By integrating Confirm into our ecosystem, we’re giving organizations the insight to identify top contributors, close skills gaps, and make data-driven decisions that directly drive productivity and business results.”
The Talent Flywheel
Learning Pool describes the combined platform as a “Talent Flywheel” — a continuous cycle where ONA data identifies skills gaps, learning content addresses them, performance data confirms whether the learning stuck, and network analytics reveal which employees can mentor others based on demonstrated influence rather than title.
High-performing brands that have already adopted Confirm’s platform include Substack, Foursquare, and Canada Goose, according to the company’s press materials. The customers range from digital-native media companies to outdoor apparel manufacturers — a sign that ONA is not confined to tech or enterprise.
What This Means for HR Tech
The acquisition fits a broader pattern in the HR software market: vendors are moving from delivering training to measuring its impact. In 2025, we saw similar moves as companies like SweetRush, eWyse, and others positioned themselves as outcomes-focused rather than content-focused. Learning Pool’s acquisition of Confirm is a bolder play — it’s not just measuring learning outcomes; it’s measuring organizational outcomes and using them to drive talent strategy.
For HR leaders, the implications are clear: the next generation of HR tech won’t just tell you whether an employee completed a course. It will tell you whether that course changed how they work, whether their colleagues notice the change, and whether it moved the needle on business results.
The Bigger Picture
Learning Pool was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Derry, Northern Ireland, with offices across the UK and North America. It employs over 420 people worldwide and serves global brands including Tesco, IHG, AXA, Sky, Canva, and Bosch. Confirm, founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco, operates as a specialized performance intelligence division within Learning Pool, accelerating the parent company’s AI-driven roadmap.
The deal suggests that 2026 is shaping up to be a consolidation year for the learning and development tech market — with players positioning themselves not just as training providers, but as strategic partners in workforce performance.
Sources:
- eLearning Industry, “Learning Pool Acquires Confirm To Drive Workforce Performance With AI Insights,” May 11, 2026, https://elearningindustry.com/press-releases/learning-pool-acquires-confirm-to-drive-workforce-performance-with-ai-insights
- Learning Pool, https://learningpool.com/
- Confirm, https://www.confirm.com/
- Learning Pool Blog, https://learningpool.com/blog/tag/company-news
- Forbes Human Resources Council, “Employee Engagement Doesn’t Predict Retention Anymore,” June 4, 2026