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Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#21

Post by jroseattle »

Something I found very interesting was Peter's comment: "You try to hire people you could become friends with." I contrast this with Zuckerberg's approach to only hiring people that he would work for (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03...).

It's probably not fair to put these side-by-side due to context, but Peter's approach resonates with me now. Here's how I reconcile this: Peter's "friends" concept is about the long-term effect on yourself (and your team around you). Mark's "work-for" concept is about putting the very best people around you to build and operate a company. They could certainly co-exist, depending on your personality.

Mark's approach (for me) makes great sense on paper, but Peter's approach comes with the value of been-there-done-that. Both have their place, but over the long haul, I can really appreciate what Peter is talking about.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#22

Post by brador »

jroseattle wrote: post #21

Something I found very interesting was Peter's comment: "You try to hire people you could become friends with." I contrast this with Zuckerberg's approach to only hiring people that he would work for ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03... ). It's probably not fair to put these side-by-side due to context, but Peter's approach resonates with me now. Here's how I reconcile this: Peter's "frie…

I see it as Peter saying hire for culture, Mark saying hire for talent.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#23

Post by dantheman »

ignoramous wrote: post #13

The interview is excellent, and has great nuggets of wisdom. The one that particularly stood out was-- "People always say you should live every day as though it's your last. I sort of have taken the opposite tack, where I think you should live every day as though it's going to go on forever. You should treat people like you're going to see them again in the future. You should start working on projects that may take a…

The competition is for losers, in my understanding is saying don't enter a competitive market where you're not going to change it. For example, don't start a restaurant or a store -- unless you're going to be extremely different.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#24

Post by dataker »

cinquemb wrote: post #16
dataker wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem comes when MBAs, generally without technical background, build companies without real value and expand an already existing bubble.

And plenty of devs go and work for such companies and individuals… One would think we'd come up with better ways by now to lessen the allocation of resources for things in the present that are of marginal utility for most people, but somehow, humans have a knack of creating/engaging red queens races relative to other things that are theoretically possible and feasible.

Becomes hard to turn down a compensation that could be 1.5-2x larger than others.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#25

Post by sergiosgc »

brador wrote: post #22
jroseattle wrote: post #21

Something I found very interesting was Peter's comment: "You try to hire people you could become friends with." I contrast this with Zuckerberg's approach to only hiring people that he would work for ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03... ). It's probably not fair to put these side-by-side due to context, but Peter's approach resonates with me now. Here's how I reconcile this: Peter's "frie…

I see it as Peter saying hire for culture, Mark saying hire for talent.

The answer is, as always, somewhere in the middle. I reconcile both thinking of culture as an hygienic condition, and talent as an order winner. Explaining: if the culture is poor, talent will go unused (it is irrelevant); if culture is good, talent gets used and only then does it make sense to try and hire the best talent.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#26

Post by k__ »

Xcelerate wrote: post #19
dataker wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem comes when MBAs, generally without technical background, build companies without real value and expand an already existing bubble.

I don't think I would join a startup that wasn't founded by people with some kind of technical degree.

Same here. But it seems to be a thing.

Best email I got from a start-up that wanted to hire me went something like this: "We are a team of 5 MBAs with an idea and need you to be our employee #1 to build it!"

I mean 5 founders seems rather excessive to me but all of them MBAs and the only technical person will be an employee and not a co founder.

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#27

Post by jacquesm »

dataker wrote: post #24
cinquemb wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And plenty of devs go and work for such companies and individuals… One would think we'd come up with better ways by now to lessen the allocation of resources for things in the present that are of marginal utility for most people, but somehow, humans have a knack of creating/engaging red queens races relative to other things that are theoretically possible and feasible.

Becomes hard to turn down a compensation that could be 1.5-2x larger than others.

More likely: 0.8 times what you'd make elsewhere but a significant chunk of equity (0.0001% or so, vesting over 5 years...).

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#29

Post by xasos »

brador wrote: post #22
jroseattle wrote: post #21

Something I found very interesting was Peter's comment: "You try to hire people you could become friends with." I contrast this with Zuckerberg's approach to only hiring people that he would work for ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03... ). It's probably not fair to put these side-by-side due to context, but Peter's approach resonates with me now. Here's how I reconcile this: Peter's "frie…

I see it as Peter saying hire for culture, Mark saying hire for talent.

That's how I took it as well. I remember reading from Max Levchin (?) that a company should hire people exactly like them, culturally, early on.

This helps reduce unnecessary conflict when the only thing you're focused on is growth. A prime example is why early startup employees come from the same school as the founders.

I think later on, bigger companies focus on talent and culture equally (for the most part).

Re: Peter Thiel on what works at work (2014)

#30

Post by TheCowboy »

jroseattle wrote: post #21

Something I found very interesting was Peter's comment: "You try to hire people you could become friends with." I contrast this with Zuckerberg's approach to only hiring people that he would work for ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2015/03... ). It's probably not fair to put these side-by-side due to context, but Peter's approach resonates with me now. Here's how I reconcile this: Peter's "frie…

A mantra like this has great appeal because who wouldn't want to hire their friends? But many hiring decisions are already biased with this in some way. Hiring is still a hard and unsolved problem.

It seems that him saying that you try to hire people you could become friends with is opaque. How does he determine someone he would be good friends with? Do they have to share the same political views and hobbies? Without more info, it is hard to not view this as: Hire people Peter Thiel could be friends with.

The main advantage of hiring people you would be friends with is that at least you feel comfortable with them even if they're not an optimal hire. It is almost like admitting you don't have a solution to finding good workers, so if you get a bad hire, at least you get along with them.

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