Naval Curate People
Oct 30, 2025
Discover the power of hiring by learning why founders can't delegate recruiting. Explore unconventional strategies to attract top talent and find undiscovered gems. Hear how great engineers are akin to artists, merging creativity with technical prowess. Understand the cult-like focus of early teams and the importance of cultural coherence. Embrace the need for iteration and the acceptance of discarded work to pave the way for innovation. The central theme? Never compromise on talent and continuously curate a team of geniuses.
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Founders Must Own Recruiting
- Do personally run early-stage recruiting and veto hiring decisions; don’t outsource core recruiting.
- Treat recruiting as non-delegable because early hires set the company's DNA and culture.
Top Talent Needs Top Peers
- The best people only want to work with other top people since lower-quality coworkers add cognitive load.
- A high-functioning team is mutually motivating and members push to impress each other.
Break Rules To Attract Exceptional Hires
- Break conventional recruiting rules to win exceptional hires through flexible offers and role design.
- Customize compensation, start dates, titles, and responsibilities to fit extraordinary candidates.