Ask HN: What do you look for in your first 10 hires?

for early hires I’d say ownership matters a lot, people who can deal with messy situations and figure things out without much structure

If they care about the mission.

The truth is that most people are mids. They need to be able to learn and improve, but if they actually care about what you’re building, they will do their best to do their best for the mission.

I’m not saying hire a bozo, but let’s be real. Think about places you’ve worked. How many of your peers were also “exceeds expectations” tier? Probably not that many.

So technical is important. But anyone can be trained. And it’s far easier when they will use what they learn to work on something they care about.

I think it also depends on what you’re building. If it’s something “cool” (either you get it or you don’t) people will be less motivated by equity (ie second order motivation) and more in making it success.

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