Hire people who give a shit.

Key ideas

Wang argues hiring should screen above all for caring, about the company and about work itself, and warns that growth turns a startup's appeal into a credential.

1. 1

   Screen for two kinds of caring

   Wang writes that his interviews come down to whether someone cares about Scale and whether they care about their work in general. He says caring does not guarantee great work, but that its absence rules out good work. Without people who identify with the mission, he argues, a company becomes an undifferentiated crowd.

2. 2

   Growth attracts people seeking credentials

   Wang fears that as a company grows, people start interviewing for the brand, and that rising applicant numbers hide a fall in the return on each hire. He compares the result to a university, with smart but uninvolved people passing through for a few years. He says this happens unless a company actively fights it.

3. 3

   Recruit by pursuit, not by filtering

   Wang argues that a recruiting process built to sort similar candidates simply yields similar candidates with better credentials. He says good recruiting can take months of convincing, because you are looking for people you would be willing to spend long nights with.

4. 4

   Ask about past obsession

   Wang says enthusiasm for the company can be faked in an interview, so he looks for evidence of an earlier obsession. His questions cover the hardest someone has worked, their weekly hours, why they cared, when they were least motivated, what they are proudest of and whether it was worth it.

5. 5

   Perks are not culture

   Wang calls it one of Silicon Valley's worst habits to mistake flexible hours, open desks and perks for culture, saying they reveal only how comfortable a company is with spending. He also criticizes big-company engineers he says work 11am to 4pm, while allowing that this may be a bit of hyperbole.

In Alexandr’s words

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