Episode #44: Founding Engineers Are Impossible To Hire, Regulators Come For AI Therapy Chatbots, What VCs Get Wrong About Hiring

This week on The Learning Corner, we dig into the changing dynamics of talent, regulation, and hiring in venture. We start with the San Francisco Standard’s piece on why founding engineers are suddenly the most coveted hire in Silicon Valley, and how the expectations for technical co-founders have shifted post-AI. Next, we explore Platformer News’s report on the political crackdown on AI therapy bots. As states move to regulate AI mental health tools, we debate where the line should be drawn between helpful support and unlicensed therapy, and what it means for builders in this space. Finally, we unpack Amplify Partners’ post on why most VC firms hire associates wrong. Charles shares what he’s learned from hiring across multiple funds at Precursor, and we discuss what it looks like to truly invest in future partners from the earliest stages of their careers.

• ‘The hot girl at the club’: How founding engineers became Silicon Valley’s biggest catch (Rya Jetha, The San Francisco Standard)

• The states are coming for AI therapy bots (Casey Newton, Platformer News)

• Why most VC firms hire associates wrong (and what we do instead) (Mike Dauber, Amplify Partners)

(0:19) Introduction and welcome (0:57) Founding engineers in the AI era & Equity packages (7:45) Changing expectations for founding engineers (10:05) The states are coming for AI therapy bots & The responsibility for AI therapy tools (18:13) Strategy for hiring in venture capital & The challenge of getting into VC (25:13) Differences between big consulting and boutique funds & Flexibility in hiring (25:53) Closing remarks and thank yous