How to interview a technical co-founder • Hacker News Board

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#41

Post by uptownfunk » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 8:19 PM UTC

dheera wrote: post #34

bpizzi wrote: post #7

I've got a problem with mixing 'co-founder' and 'hiring' terms: to me they look mutually exclusive. If you're searching for someone for 'co-founding' your startup, then you're asking for a partner. If you're trying to 'hire' someone, then you're asking for an employee. Partners are not to be interviewed, at least not with a 'coding test'. Think of the reversed situation: you're a 'business guy' (whatever that means),…

I agree. Co-founders are by definition not hired. They should not have to "prove themselves" over the span of a week. Rather, you should already have the proof and conviction based on months to years of prior experience that they are the right person with the right skills. Moreover, please do not be the silly business person who walks up to some engineer and be like: "I have this great idea, it's going to be great! C…

A Harsh truth but quite enlightening. Thanks.

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#42

Post by petegrif » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 8:37 PM UTC

Skipping over what others have pointed out - you don't interview a co-founder.

a) ensure this is someone you are going to get along with b) get someone else to assess their technical competence - you can't assess it and the guidelines you provide won't work reliably.

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#43

Post by chrisloy » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 9:24 PM UTC

Wow, I thought this one had just disappeared into the void. Glad to see I got people's attention and provoked debate, even if it seems much of it disagrees with my underlying assumptions.

For what it's worth, one thing I don't cover in the article is whether this is a good idea in the first place. It obviously isn't ideal, and as I say it is a difficult situation to be in. From my perspective, I think a non-technical founder is obviously better looking for a trusted former colleague or friend to join as CTO. Proven mutual history is the best thing you can lean on here.

But if this isn't possible, I would definitely espouse an interview process - however formal you prefer that to be. My post is therefore really intended as a how-to guide for someone in this awkward spot, looking to identify the skills and experience for technical leadership without the background to do so.

Of course other soft skills and fit are just as important. But any decent founder will need to identify those in all people joining the founding team. This is just intended as a step-by-step guide for those specific skills needed for a technical co-founder or CTO. I hope it is helpful for someone!

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#44

Post by james1071 » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 9:32 PM UTC

didn't realise you could hire a 'co-founder' suspect it means subordinate who is paid in share options

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#45

Post by chrisloy » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 9:34 PM UTC

cabaalis wrote: post #32

I think the reliance on open source work is too heavy. Plenty of amazing engineers have done work at organizations serving millions of customers but have not made contributions to open source. A portfolio is mentioned but is at the bottom of the list of importance, and even noted as such. The author mentions company blogs. At decent sized organizations these could be written by the marketing departments, little regar…

Author here - completely agree with you. I think the presence of these things can be a nice shortcut to establishing expertise, but lack of them does not imply lack of expertise. These are just suggestions of things to look for, and it certainly isn't my intention that people be ruled out because of an empty GitHub profile. I hope that isn't what it sounds like.

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#46

Post by chrisloy » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 9:38 PM UTC

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #6

nice article, though: > A non-technical founder interviewing a technical one is akin to a brain surgeon hiring a rocket scientist. Forgive the self-aggrandisement! It's not self-aggrandisement but lacks acknowledgement that it's equally complex the other way around. As engineers we tend to think no aspect is more important than the product we build. Yet without the right person to understand financial growth (and the…

That was my intended point (I'm a CTO at a startup).

I consider myself a decent rocket scientist (CTO) but would make a terrible brain surgeon (CEO) ;-)

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#47

Post by methodover » Sat, Nov 25, 2017, 9:50 PM UTC

codingdave wrote: post #22

dominotw wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most of them completely skipped vetting me, and just were hungry for someone who could code. How did these people find you? I am ready to quit my stable job and do something fun for a while. Where do you I find people in the same boat.

Networking. All of my consulting contracts came from people I already knew, who either hired me directly or introduced me to someone who needed help. And those contacts and clients then introduced me to other people who were looking to found something new. FYI, I found zero value in meetups or other networking events, because the people who are working hard on good ideas are too busy (in general) to attend such thing…

What was the source of your network, if I may ask? Old college friends? Church? Co-workers?

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#48

Post by codingdave » Sun, Nov 26, 2017, 12:59 AM UTC

methodover wrote: post #47

codingdave wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Networking. All of my consulting contracts came from people I already knew, who either hired me directly or introduced me to someone who needed help. And those contacts and clients then introduced me to other people who were looking to found something new. FYI, I found zero value in meetups or other networking events, because the people who are working hard on good ideas are too busy (in general) to attend such thing…

What was the source of your network, if I may ask? Old college friends? Church? Co-workers?

One contract came from a partner of a business I used to code for. The rest were just asking around town, in particular with people who worked in marketing - they knew who needed help growing their business, and would pair me up with business owners who had specific tech problems to solve.

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#49

Post by hkmurakami » Sun, Nov 26, 2017, 7:57 AM UTC

dheera wrote: post #34

bpizzi wrote: post #7

I've got a problem with mixing 'co-founder' and 'hiring' terms: to me they look mutually exclusive. If you're searching for someone for 'co-founding' your startup, then you're asking for a partner. If you're trying to 'hire' someone, then you're asking for an employee. Partners are not to be interviewed, at least not with a 'coding test'. Think of the reversed situation: you're a 'business guy' (whatever that means),…

I agree. Co-founders are by definition not hired. They should not have to "prove themselves" over the span of a week. Rather, you should already have the proof and conviction based on months to years of prior experience that they are the right person with the right skills. Moreover, please do not be the silly business person who walks up to some engineer and be like: "I have this great idea, it's going to be great! C…

Regarding the non technical cofounder, he or she should ideally have a track record in either acquiring consumer users with the acquisition channel he/she intends to use, or has successfully sold to enterprises in that vertical and size.

Without that track record, you're in for a crap shoot imo.

Re: How to interview a technical co-founder

#50

Post by hkmurakami » Sun, Nov 26, 2017, 8:21 AM UTC

baddox wrote: post #13

bpizzi wrote: post #7

I've got a problem with mixing 'co-founder' and 'hiring' terms: to me they look mutually exclusive. If you're searching for someone for 'co-founding' your startup, then you're asking for a partner. If you're trying to 'hire' someone, then you're asking for an employee. Partners are not to be interviewed, at least not with a 'coding test'. Think of the reversed situation: you're a 'business guy' (whatever that means),…

So how do you find a business partner? It sounds like you’re suggesting that you need to already have been personally close to and trusting of your partner for a long time, or perhaps find a partner based on recommendations from very close and trusted friends or colleagues. That’s probably how it happens most of the time. Is that the only viable way to choose a partner?

You can have a 3rd person who knows both of you well to make an intro.