“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies Troy Sultan: How Guide Turned RCs into Iron Man
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Apr 25, 2025 Troy Sultan, CEO and founder of Guide, shares his journey from Google to revolutionizing recruitment with AI. He tackles the outdated assumptions of traditional hiring, advocating for speed and transparency. Sultan discusses the importance of empowering candidates with self-service options, transforming their experience. He also emphasizes the cultural shift towards automation in hiring processes and the need for HR leaders to adapt. With insights on improving candidate experiences, Troy invites a rethinking of power dynamics in recruitment.
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Cookies Secured Early Deal
- Troy Sultan left Google early to start a sourcing as a service company. He secured a deal with DoorDash partly by bringing homemade cookies to their office. - This story shows creativity and personal touch can help close business deals even in tech environments.
Product vs. Go-to-Market Lessons
- Early tech startups often overvalue product creation and undervalue go-to-market strategies. - Troy Sultan's first company's slow growth was partly due to underpricing sales and marketing importance.
Acquisition by Competitor Gem
- Gem, a competitor with strong sales, acquired Troy Sultan's company, Resource, to better serve customers. - The deal started with a broker email but was sealed by a genuine, ego-free email from Gem's CEO praising Resource's product.