Dive Club 🤿 Henry Modisett - Inside Perplexity's design culture
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Jan 9, 2026 
Henry Modisett, VP of Design at Perplexity, shares insights from his extensive experience in building a vibrant design culture. He discusses the rapid growth of his team and the complexities of balancing parallel product work. Henry explores his unique hiring strategies, emphasizing the need for founders-style designers who thrive in ambiguity. He also highlights the importance of decisiveness and organic feedback, while promoting a culture of experimentation over imitation. His approach to leadership encourages ownership and agility within a fast-paced environment.
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Adapt Values As You Scale
- Rapid growth forces you to revisit early values and processes as the company becomes essential to users.
- Henry Modisett says adapting when you shift from scrappy startup to stable product is crucial to sustain trust and quality.
Sell Design As A Strategic Weapon
- Explain your theory for why design will help the company win when hiring a founding designer.
- Signal commitment to design strategy so candidates feel confident joining your startup, Henry Modisett advises.
Leverage Search's Low Collision Surface
- Parallelizing product work reduces internal collision compared with feed-based products.
- Henry Modisett notes search products let teams ship independent features with less cross-team conflict.