Andy Schachtel Keeps People in the Loop
Andy Schachtel grew Sourcefit from one outsourced developer into a company of more than 2,000. His approach to AI starts by listening to employees.
AI in BPO is changing how teams work, but Andy Schachtel says automation should not leave people out of the process. The Sourcefit founder and CEO built a company around outsourced talent and now asks employees directly how AI is affecting their jobs.
A company that started with one outsourced developer
Schachtel’s career began in traditional media production, not business process outsourcing. As he recounted in a May 2025 interview with Pulse 2.0, he presented on Japanese television before starting a commercial production company. The business produced commercials for Japanese agencies Dentsu and Hakuhodo, with clients including Sony, Toyota and Coca-Cola Japan.
“Ask the people doing the work what AI is changing, then share what they say.”
He later developed an online short-video platform before YouTube and worked on early mobile sites as mobile data became available. A major project for Vodafone then took him into outsourcing: a platform he described as the world’s first international social networking service built for mobile. The project needed development support, and after early difficulties, his team found success working with developers in the Philippines.
That experience made outsourcing feel like more than a way to fill a vacancy. Schachtel could not find the talent he needed locally. By outsourcing, his team could hire a senior developer and two junior developers for the cost of one local hire, assuming the right local candidate could be found. He said that without this option, the project would not have got off the ground.
He came to the Philippines in 2009, and Sourcefit grew from that project. The company passed 2,000 employees in 2024 and has more than 220 clients, according to Sourcefit. It operates delivery centers in the Philippines, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Armenia and the United Kingdom. The BPOAI profile of Andy Schachtel describes how that early outsourcing decision shaped the company he leads today.
His story also connects to a changing Philippine IT-BPM sector, where digital skills and industry participation matter to workers and employers alike. POEA Job Finder has covered how Lyriq AI’s IBPAP membership relates to the Philippine IT-BPM community, a useful example of the wider industry context around AI and BPO work.
What he built when the tools did not exist
Sourcefit’s history includes building tools when existing products did not meet a client’s needs. For the Vodafone platform, called Self Central, the team created its own content moderation system because no available tool matched the requirements. Self Central ran across more than 15 markets. The custom platform included content grading, country-specific workflows and a wellness program for moderators.
Sourcefit later built its own HR system in 2016. In 2024, it launched Knit, which Schachtel describes as a way to bring a mostly remote workforce together under one roof through engagement, collaboration and social features. Its AI solutions brand, WorkingAI, builds custom AI into clients’ existing workflows.
Schachtel’s approach is to place AI within the work itself, rather than treat it as a separate experiment. The company’s awards reflect that work: at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, Sourcefit received a Gold Stevie for Excellence in Innovation in Artificial Intelligence for Knit and WorkingAI, and a Silver Stevie for Excellence in Innovation in Technology Industries. The Business Intelligence Group also named Sourcefit a winner in the Artificial Intelligence category of the 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards.
For job seekers, the practical point is not that every role will require building AI systems. It is that workers may encounter new tools within existing jobs, and the ability to learn how those tools fit a workflow can matter. Candidates who want to strengthen their technical foundation can explore skills and training information through TESDA’s official site.
People in the loop: AI in BPO
Schachtel’s view of AI starts with the people who use it. In Forbes in September 2026, he described a Sourcefit survey conducted between February and July 2026 among nearly 2,000 employees working in teams managed by clients. He expected that somewhere between 30% and half of respondents might say AI would hurt their jobs. Instead, about 7% thought AI would negatively affect their role, while 68% said it had made a moderate or significant positive impact on their productivity.
The main obstacle employees identified was access to the tools, rather than fear of AI. Schachtel summarized their response: “They are not afraid. They feel more productive.” His point is that leaders should ask employees what is actually happening in their work instead of assuming how they feel about automation. For job seekers, this account of AI in BPO is a reminder to ask how a specific employer introduces tools and supports the people expected to use them.
He made a similar argument on the Outsource Accelerator podcast in August 2025, describing the limits of automation in Sourcefit’s work. None of the AI systems the company had built eliminated everyone from a process. Each kept a person in the workflow to confirm, check and control the work. He also said, “We’ll never be just a sole provider of people.”
In Forbes, he argued that AI could narrow the quality gap that once made some buyers hesitant about offshore teams. An analyst in Manila using the same AI tools as an analyst in New York can produce work that is closer in quality and faster, while costing less. In his view, that can make offshore teams more competitive, not simply replace the people in them.
People and productivity are not the only workplace concerns. Work can also affect wellbeing, especially for employees balancing demanding schedules or working far from home. POEA Job Finder’s advice on protecting mental wellbeing while working abroad offers practical support for OFWs and other workers navigating those pressures.
“They are not afraid. They feel more productive.”Andy Schachtel · Forbes, September 2026
What he counts as success
In a 2023 interview with Business & Finance, Schachtel said his motivation was not a lasting attachment to one product or industry. He was driven by the challenge of building something from nothing. His priorities changed as Sourcefit grew: first came having a proper office and making payroll, then developing a brand and creating careers for staff. Later, his focus expanded to the community and the environment, and eventually to building a future for Sourcefit that would not depend on him.
His definition of success brings those ambitions together: happy customers, happy employees, a healthy environment and strong growth. He sees employees’ goals and the company’s goals as connected. That idea is relevant to BPO workers considering a role: pay and title matter, but it is also reasonable to ask whether a position offers support, opportunities to develop and a workplace where people are heard.
For Schachtel, the environmental and community commitments are concrete. Sourcefit runs empowerED, focused on employability; Go Beyond, focused on food security; and Soilmate, focused on environmental rehabilitation. By 2023, its food program had reached 3,000 families. Sourcefit now reports that its community work has supported more than 15,000 at-risk families and that 98% of employees take part in CSR initiatives.
In 2024, 120 Sourcefit volunteers planted 1,100 trees at the La Mesa Watershed with the Million Trees Foundation. At the 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the company also received a Silver Stevie for Innovative Achievement in CSR and a Bronze Stevie for Excellence in Social Impact.
Schachtel has said that advice he has drawn on as a CEO, coach and parent came from a Michael Jordan commercial for Nike: failing repeatedly is part of the way to succeed. The lesson fits his account of building the company through changing priorities, rather than expecting one product or idea to carry it forever.
Where he says it is going
Schachtel does not claim to know exactly how AI will reshape offshore work. In Forbes, he pointed to examples that can be read in different ways: personal computers created new assistant roles, while ATMs did not end bank teller jobs until mobile banking removed the need to visit a branch. His response is to keep asking employees what they see happening.
He has said Sourcefit will run the survey again and will take rising concern seriously. For now, employees are asking for better access to the tools that some people assume will replace them. That finding does not prove that every worker will benefit from AI, but it gives employers a practical question to answer: are staff being given the tools, training and oversight they need to do their jobs well?
For Filipino job seekers, Schachtel’s experience is a reminder to look beyond headlines about automation. Find out which tools a role uses, whether training is provided, and how a person reviews or approves AI-assisted work. If you are considering an overseas opportunity, check the offer and recruiter before sharing money or documents; POEA Job Finder explains how to verify a licensed recruitment agency in the Philippines. You can also review what to check if a recruiter asks you to pay an applicant fee and consult the Department of Migrant Workers for official information on overseas employment and worker protection.
Schachtel’s larger lesson for BPO leaders is straightforward: ask the people doing the work what AI is changing, then share what they say. For workers, the next step is equally practical: before applying, shortlist a role that fits your skills, ask the employer about its tools, training and human review, and verify the recruiter and offer before sending documents or money.