Hiring

14 notes. Often alongside startups, people and agency.

Surprise me in hiring

Start here · 9 min

How to recruitSlava Akhmechet · 3 min
Great candidates are rare and have options, so move fast, pour energy into small gestures and their bigger dreams, and leave compensation for the end.
Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky · 3 min
Chesky's 2013 letter to the Airbnb team on why culture comes first, prompted by Peter Thiel's one piece of advice after investing.
Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang · 3 min
Wang's Scale memo argues the key hiring screen is whether candidates care about the company and have been obsessed with work before, warning that a growing startup risks becoming a credential instead of a mission.

All 14 notes

Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 2 min
An insider's list of what made Stripe great around 2018, starting with nearly everyone being agentic, smart, and conscientious, and what that cost in energy.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- Stubborn Attachments On Getting Things DoneSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of Braindump on what made Stripe great (opens in a new tab)
how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 4 min
How to give feedback people want and feedback they don't: move from a concrete example of their work to how you'd do it, why it matters, and a reusable framework.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of how to give feedback (opens in a new tab)
How to recruitSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 3 min
Great candidates are rare and have options, so move fast, pour energy into small gestures and their bigger dreams, and leave compensation for the end.
Related
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of How to recruit (opens in a new tab)
Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 1 min
Contrasts two working modes: leaders take a goal, tolerate ambiguity, and figure out the how, while followers need precise tasks and excel within a narrow range.
Related
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- how to give feedbackSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of Leader v Follower Mode (opens in a new tab)
Stubborn Attachments On Getting Things DoneSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 1 min
Firm rules for execution: every effort needs one owner for whom it's the main job, leaders and followers rarely swap roles, and you can only run as many things as you have leaders.
Related
- Braindump on what made Stripe greatSlava Akhmechet
- Gradient Descent ValleysSlava Akhmechet
- Don’t Edit Your ImaginationBrian Chesky
- Do Too MuchAlexandr Wang
Read the original of Stubborn Attachments On Getting Things Done (opens in a new tab)
Employee RetentionSam Altman Aug 28 5 min
Altman argues retention becomes harder than hiring once a startup grows, and that mission, rocketship growth, and a great team keep people where perks and inflated salaries never do.
Related
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Hard StartupsSam Altman
- Idea GenerationSam Altman
- Startup AdviceSam Altman
Read the original of Employee Retention (opens in a new tab)
Greg BrockmanSam Altman Aug 27 2 min
Altman holds up Greg Brockman as the ideal cofounder, the force of will who committed to OpenAI on a car ride home, recruited the founding team, took every non-technical job, and kept everyone pressing on.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Hard StartupsSam Altman
- Idea GenerationSam Altman
- Startup AdviceSam Altman
Read the original of Greg Brockman (opens in a new tab)
Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky Aug 22 3 min
Chesky's 2013 letter to the Airbnb team on why culture comes first, prompted by Peter Thiel's one piece of advice after investing.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang
- Lieutenants are the limiting reagentSebastian Bensusan
Read the original of Don’t Fuck Up the Culture (opens in a new tab)
Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang Aug 21 3 min
Wang's Scale memo argues the key hiring screen is whether candidates care about the company and have been obsessed with work before, warning that a growing startup risks becoming a credential instead of a mission.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky
- Lieutenants are the limiting reagentSebastian Bensusan
Read the original of Hire people who give a shit. (opens in a new tab)
Lieutenants are the limiting reagentSebastian Bensusan Aug 19 3 min
Bensusan argues big tech ships few products for its size because the real bottleneck is lieutenants, agentic people who push through blockers outside their job description, and they grow scarcer as companies grow.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky
- Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang
Read the original of Lieutenants are the limiting reagent (opens in a new tab)
How to Build a High-Growth Operating System: 9 Lessons from 9 Years at FaireDan Hockenmaier Aug 18 12 min
Lessons on cadence, hiring, culture, and finding meaning at a high-growth startup.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky
- Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang
Read the original of How to Build a High-Growth Operating System: 9 Lessons from 9 Years at Faire (opens in a new tab)
A Good Place to WorkBen Horowitz Aug 12 7 min
Ben Horowitz on what makes a good place to work: people can focus on the job and trust that doing it well benefits both them and the company.
Related
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
- Don’t Fuck Up the CultureBrian Chesky
- Hire people who give a shit.Alexandr Wang
Read the original of A Good Place to Work (opens in a new tab)
Finding Great DevelopersJoel Spolsky Aug 3 18 min
Great developers rarely hit the job market, so Spolsky explains how to reach them early through internships, community, and building a place they want to work.
Related
- The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing (version 3.0)Joel Spolsky
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
Read the original of Finding Great Developers (opens in a new tab)
The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing (version 3.0)Joel Spolsky Aug 3 24 min
Joel Spolsky's guide to technical interviews: hire people who are smart and get things done, and how to structure an interview that reliably finds them.
Related
- Finding Great DevelopersJoel Spolsky
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
- Employee RetentionSam Altman
- Greg BrockmanSam Altman
Read the original of The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing (version 3.0) (opens in a new tab)

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Hiring

Start here · 9 min

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