56% more job openings, 3x more applications, but 8 MORE days to fill roles! CEO of Gem.ai shares data that explains why most recruiting careers are about to hit a wall…In this eye-opening conversation, Boris Epstein sits down with Steven Bartel, CEO of Gem.ai, to explore the shocking transformation happening in recruiting right now. From North Korean actors infiltrating hiring processes to AI-generated deepfake interviews, the recruiting landscape has become a battlefield. Steve reveals how recruiters are drowning under 3x more applications while handling 56% more open roles, yet companies refuse to expand recruiting teams. Steve shares exclusive data on how AI is saving companies up to 90% of their application review time and how Gem is embedding AI deeply into recruiting workflows - from sourcing agents to fraud detection - to help recruiters work smarter, not just harder. Tune in to hear them talk about:The Application Apocalypse: Recruiters are experiencing a 3x increase in applications while handling 56% more open roles.The Fraud Arms Race: Fraud in hiring is escalating, with cases of North Korean actors, deepfake interviews, and AI-generated resumes.The Efficiency Revolution: AI is cutting application review time by up to 90% for leading companies.The Human-AI Partnership: Recruiters who embrace AI will outperform those who resist it; AI augments human judgment.The Data-Context Challenge: The future of recruiting AI is about having complete relationship histories and touchpoint data to enable hyper-personalized outreach.Specifically, don't miss Steve's bold prediction on how he expects AI to reshape recruiting over the next few years!Chapters00:00 Highlights from the episode03:45 When Your Interview Is With AI09:08 North Korea's Recruiting Infiltration12:06 The Deepfake Interview Dilemma19:13 Why Recruiters Are Burning Out23:18 Will AI Kill the Recruiting Industry?27:24 FAANG Engineers vs AI Natives - a Recap33:24 The Recruiter's New Role in an AI-First Future41:40 A Bold Prediction About What Comes Next46:29 Solving The Source of Truth ProblemQuotes:"Each recruiter, on average, is dealing with three times the inbound applicants across our customer base. And more than 20% of our customers are getting thousands of applicants for a single role." - Steve Bartel (02:18)"I think some of these folks are using deepfake videos, which are getting surprisingly sophisticated. I've heard this recommendation where companies are going as far as to say 'Hey, can you put your hand in front of your face?'" - Steve Bartel (12:25)"If you talk to most recruiters in the industry, they are working a lot harder than ever before." - Steve Bartel (25:34)"AI is not going to replace recruiters, but recruiters who embrace AI are going to replace the recruiters who don't." - Steve Bartel (43:50)"The hardest part of AI is no longer like the underlying algorithm. [...] The hard part about AI is what data does the AI have actually access to and what kind of context does it have access to..." - Steve Bartel (46:01)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Gem: https://www.gem.comSteve Bartel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-bartel/Gem’s Benchmarks Report 2025: https://www.gem.com/resource/recruiting-benchmarksMusic by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein, founder of 1st10 and former FAANG-level recruiter, reveals a shocking reality behind AI startup hiring practices and why the most talented engineers in tech might be getting left behind. Drawing from his decade of experience recruiting for top tech firms like Robinhood, Instacart, and Stripe, Boris explores why AI founders are wary of FAANG talent, what biases drive this perception, and how engineers can adapt to stay relevant. He contrasts grind culture with lifestyle gigs, zero-to-one building with scale, and passion projects with polished résumés. The episode is a wake-up call for FAANG engineers as well as a cautionary tale for startups dismissing valuable talent too quickly.Tune in to hear Boris explain:The Great Talent Paradox: AI startups systematically avoiding FAANG engineers seems to be creating a disconnect between supply and demand in the hiring market.The Hurdles of Work Culture: The 9-to-5 easy-going lifestyle preferred by FAANG engineers versus the 60-70 hour weeks demanded by AI startups is presenting a major hiring barrier.The HP-Internet Moment: Engineers face a stark choice: be part of the AI future or risk obsolescence if they don't adapt quickly.The Zero-to-One Test: Building something from scratch is the ultimate litmus test for AI startup hiring. Specifically, don't miss the part where Boris reveals how the bias shown by AI startups against FAANG talent could backfire and what FAANG engineers need to do, if (when?) that happens.Chapters00:00 Highlights From The Episode01:23 3 Deadly Biases05:18 A Grand Canyon-Sized Gap12:13 The Power of Passion Projects15:03 HP in 1994, FAANG in 2025?22:05 The Case for FAANG Talent28:21 How to Break Into AI33:27 Startups Don’t Wait, Why Should You?37:52 A Market on Collision Course43:31 Why Both Worlds Must Evolve46:33 Do You Want to Be Part of the Future?Quotes:"The reason [AI Startups] are working very hard is because AI is believed to be by these startups (to be) a completely transformational technology, completely transformational opportunity." - Boris Epstein (07:25)"Get off the FAANG bus, get into the AI startup bus!" - Boris Epstein (17:40)"If I had a dollar and I could only put it into one of the two startups, I’d probably bet on the FAANG startup." - Boris Epstein (23:32)"Your resume isn't showing anybody what you could do for them. Your resume is showing the world what you did in the past." - Boris Epstein (30:53)Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:FAANG companies (Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_TechLangChain (open-source AI framework) - https://www.langchain.com/Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

In this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein sits down with Sara Ali, Senior Director of Corporate Development & Strategy at Yahoo, to dissect the frenzy around AI-driven M&A. From Meta's $14.3 billion partial acquisition of Scale AI to Google's talent-grab deals with Character.AI, Sara breaks down the creative deal structures that are bypassing regulatory scrutiny while commanding unprecedented valuations. With her engineering background and 12+ years in M&A across companies like Robinhood, Google, and Microsoft's M12 venture arm, Sara reveals why traditional revenue multiples no longer apply in AI, how "scarcity multiples" are driving billion-dollar talent acquisitions, and what this means for engineers and founders navigating this chaotic landscape.Tune in to hear them talk about:The Regulatory Loophole Era: Creative deal structures, like non-voting stakes and licensing agreements, are allowing tech giants to acquire AI talent and assets while sidestepping regulatory reviews.Talent Is the New Gold: AI deals today aren't about revenue multiples - they're about "scarcity multiples" i.e., locking in talent and know-how before competitors do.M&A Budget vs HR Budget: Corporate development and HR departments operate with completely different compensation constraints, enabling acquired talent to earn 10-20x what traditionally-hired engineers make.Equity Is NOT Important: Being deemed "key talent" during an acquisition can be more lucrative than initial startup equity. Specifically, don't miss the part where Sara boldly predicts how GPU access might be used as a bargaining chip in future M&A deals.Chapters00:00 Highlights from the episode02:07 Sara's Journey05:15 Yahoo's Quiet Renaissance08:10 Decoding Corporate Development Secrets11:18 Why AI Is Too Big to Miss14:25 The Meta-Scale Play: "Have Your Cake, Eat It Too!"18:18 How Big Tech Skips the Regulators23:30 Winners, Losers, and Others28:25 Scarcity Multiples and Startup Shells31:09 The $100 Million Question38:43 Meta Brakes But M&A Won't Stop41:07 The Early Engineer's Survival Guide47:04 A Playbook For Founder's Playbook50:27 Sara's Bold Prediction about GPUsQuotes:"Meta gets all the benefits of owning Scale.AI but none of the regulatory headache." - Sara Ali (17:25)"No one really knows how the market is going to settle, but everyone knows that they can't just sit around and wait for it. Otherwise, they're going to miss." - Sara Ali (31:31)"While we may have to pay equity for base salary, you could end up getting millions of dollars of an equity grant and an acquired-engineer maybe making 10x, 20x what a regularly-hired engineer might make." - Sara Ali (33:55)"In AI specifically, more than any other space right now, the caliber of your team is crucial." - Sara Ali (48:01)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein sits down with Daniel Rock - economist, professor at Wharton, and co-founder of Workhelix - to decode the messy reality of AI's impact on jobs, productivity, and enterprise transformation. Daniel brings a unique perspective as both an academic economist studying digital technologies and an entrepreneur building AI solutions for enterprises. The conversation explores why AI adoption might take longer than tech enthusiasts expect, how companies can strategically deploy AI tools, and why the "entry-level jobs apocalypse" might not happen as predicted. Daniel also shares his insights on teaching in the AI era, the challenges of building an AI startup, and his measured predictions for the technology's future impact.Daniel is refreshingly clear-eyed about where we actually are and where we're likely going. Below are some of the standout lessons I took away from our conversation.An entry-level job-pocalypse? Well, no. AI could just as likely augment junior talent as replace it, and in some cases, even increase demand for skilled oversight.A job isn't a task. It's a bundle of interdependent skills, roles, and context - making full automation much harder than people think.Generative AI = the new Excel. Used poorly, it's lazy. Used well, it supercharges creativity, productivity, and learning - especially among students.An Educational Revolution Is Underway. AI is quietly transforming classroom dynamics and assessment criteria in ways that mirror future workplace changes.Real transformation takes time. Like electricity and the internet, AI as a general-purpose tech will only reshape enterprise when paired with new systems, workflows, and retraining.AI Has A Real Risk No One's Talking About. It’s not superintelligence - it's bad actors with superpowers. And it matters a lot more in the near term than you think.Chapters00:00 Key Ideas From the Episode05:32 Confessions of a Multi-Disciplinary Economist08:31 How Students Actually Use AI11:24 Redefining Originality in the GPT Era16:21 A Startup That's Betting Against the Wait-and-See Crowd19:30 Inside the Enterprise AI Mess24:22 Jobs Are Systems, Not Widgets28:12 Reviewers, Not Doers: The Software Engineering Shift32:00 Workhelix: Building in the Eye of the Storm38:42 Predictions from the Pragmatist45:26 Careers @ WorkhelixQuotes"I tend to make everyone a little bit upset when I talk about Artificial Intelligence." - Daniel Rock (02:28)"I'm a little skeptical that the entry-level jobs apocalypse is even going to happen. A job is not, like, an easy thing to just take out." - Daniel Rock (00:00)"My friends, Gene Kim and Steve Yegge, call that 'The Potential Closet of Eldritch Horrors.' I do not envy the talent wars that Meta and OpenAI and Anthropic have to fight in." - Daniel Rock (00:00)"You don't get an A if you're correct anymore! You have to be correct AND original! You'll get a B if you're correct." - Daniel Rock (11:56)"AI will pay off your credit card debt on the technical debt side. So if you start racking up a lot of technical debt, that can be okay because AI will wipe it out to some extent later on!" - Daniel Rock (35:06)Follow:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13UwWOSV1KrJBJgIdt8bJ7Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Daniel Rock’s website: https://www.danielianrock.com Daniel Rock (Operations, Information and Decisions Department, Wharton School, UPenn): https://oid.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/rockdi/Daniel’s startup, Workhelix: https://www.workhelix.com/ Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

Mark Zuckerberg dropping $100 million each on SIXTEEN engineers (and counting) might be a wild strategy that could hand Meta the AI crown.On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, host Boris Epstein dives into Meta's jaw-dropping AI talent acquisition spree that's sending shockwaves through Silicon Valley. From $100 million sign-on bonuses to billion-dollar offers, Meta is rewriting the rules of tech recruiting. From the $14B Scale AI buy to $100M+ offers for individual engineers, Boris unpacks the strategic genius - and controversy - behind Zuckerberg's pivot to building a "Superintelligence Lab." He explains why this isn't reckless spending but a calculated blend of corporate development and recruiting tactics, designed to leapfrog competition in the AI arms race. Along the way, he dissects the ripple effects across compensation norms, startup hiring, and the tech industry's status quo.Tune in to hear Boris explain how (and why):Meta isn't "just hiring" - it's merging a long-standing "corporate development" strategy with individual recruiting.Zuck's pivot pattern is clear. Mobile-first, Metaverse, and now AI - with "lockdown" focus and willingness to spend massively to catch up or lead.The hires weren't just motivated by massive paychecks. Mark Zuckerberg's compelling vision of "superintelligence for every human in the world" was a solid hook.Meta has forced an industry-wide compensation reset. Meta's strategy is forcing competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic to dramatically increase their own compensation packages to retain talent. Ripple effects will be seen beyond 'Big AI labs' - every competitor is now rethinking pay, retention, and how to raid rivals' best people.Discover why Meta is betting billions on superintelligence, how they're rewriting the rules of recruiting, and what this means for startups, engineers, and the future of AI.Chapters00:00 Key Ideas From The Episode01:19 Why Meta is Dropping $100M Like Pocket Change03:19 When Acquisitions Hit a Wall07:49 Zuck's Lockdown 2.0 Was Worth $14 Billion?13:20 The Math That Makes "Insane" Offers Make Sense17:04 The Hiring Model That Breaks ALL Industry Rules!21:10 Speed Was the Point, Not the Problem.26:53 What Kind of a Smart Guy Rejects a $1B Offer?!32:25 Will The Riches Trickle Down To... You?37:26 AI for Everyone - Or a Dystopian Nightmare?Quotes:"What Meta did in this case - which is, in my opinion, brilliant and landscape-changing - is they brought in individual people after their initial acquisition but for the same acquisition-level proceeds!" - Boris Epstein (16:44)"If Meta is willing to offer $100+ million, they’re equally allowed to ask for any timeline they want." - Boris Epstein (23:28)"I do believe that we'll see quite a meaningful trickle effect... Every single company CEO is taking notice. Every single company Corp Dev group, every single engineer, is taking notice." - Boris Epstein (32:25)Follow:Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcastApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:“Blink”, by Malcolm Gladwell - https://www.gladwell.com/blink/Open AI’s Head of Recruiting posts about Meta’s “exploding” offers: https://x.com/jquinonero/status/1940926946705395943The Developer Who Got A $1B+ Offer: https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/mark-zuckerberg-mira-murati-meta-thinking-machines-lab-andrew-tulloch-offer-125080601247_1.htmlMusic by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

What if the AI revolution doesn't take all jobs but *just* enough to crash society?On this first episode of the latest season of the 1st10 Podcast, host Boris Epstein is joined by ex-Microsoft, ex-Meta, and ex-OpenAI engineer and founder of the AI-powered podcast app Superphonic, Philip Su for a conversation about AI, jobs, and the future of humanity. Philip lays out why he's building small while the rest of the world races toward scale. He opens up about career pivots, the myth of vibecoding, and the sobering risks that even a 5% disruption from AI could cause. From building Facebook Video Calling to solo-coding his dream podcast app, this is a rare look at tech from someone who's seen every stage of the game but is now sounding the alarm…Tune in to hear them talk about a variety of topics, such as:*Career Pivots Require Self-Awareness: Philip's leap from Microsoft to Facebook (when it was still risky) underscores the importance of recognizing when your skills need reinvention.*Small Teams, Big Impact: With AI tools, a solo developer can now build what once required a team!*Shipping is the real grind: The hardest part of software? Not coding. It's the “business of software”—App Store approvals, signing certs, compliance, etc.Podcasts Are Ripe for Disruption: Superphonic's innovations (like topic-based subscriptions) reveal how overlooked niches can be goldmines for builders.AI is beating us at being human: It does art, music, and writing better than the average person!*The "Faster Faster" Problem: AI's self-improving nature means societal disruptions could happen at an accelerating pace.Specifically, don't miss the part where Philip explains how specialization won't necessarily save you from losing your job to AI but something else will. Listen to the episode to know what that might be!Chapters00:00 Introduction05:23 A Risky Leap: From Microsoft to Facebook13:47 Building a Podcast Player (in 2025!)19:36 Coding Now vs Then (Spoiler: It's Wild!)23:02 Can A Solo Dev Compete With The Big Guys?30:11 Vibe Coding - It's What You've Been Waiting For!32:46 Inside OpenAI: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain38:09 AI Is Not Like Social Media; It's MUCH Bigger!43:30 Why This Time Might Actually Be Different46:02 Winter is Coming -- For ALL White-Collar Workers!Quotes:"Most of software development is not the coding of Tetris. That is hardly the hard part of the problem." - Philip Su (30:11)"We used to think with the Jetsons that the robots would clean our houses while we did art and music and all this stuff. And it turns out that the robots first came for the art and the music, and we're still cleaning our own houses." - Philip Su (39:54)"Winter is coming. That is my warning." - Philip Su (49:03)Connect with usWebsite: www.1st10.comPodcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links:Music by Roman Senyk from PixabayProducer: Shrikant Joshi

Summary

On this final episode of Season 2 of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger outline a comprehensive Hiring Playbook for founders building early-stage startups. They list seven critical steps to attract and hire top talent, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, leveraging networks, and the founder's active role in recruiting. Through anecdotes, examples, and actionable advice, they explore how founders can craft compelling narratives, identify red flags, and sell their vision to potential hires.

Some key takeaways from this episode:

• Storytelling is King: Without a compelling narrative, even the best opportunities can fall flat.  

• Founders Must Recruit: Founders need to be deeply involved in outreach, even if it means facing a high rejection rate.  

• Sell the Vision: Top candidates are drawn to the mission and the team, not just the salary.

• Go Beyond Technical Skills: Cultural fit, conflict resolution, and collaboration skills are just as important as technical abilities.  

Specifically, don't miss the part where Boris and Alexis compare recruiting to getting married! That one will definitely unlock a whole new perspective about startup recruiting for sure!

Chapters

00:00 Introductions

02:55 Hiring With Stories: Why Narrative Matters

07:32 Hidden Networks: Talent You Already Know

12:07 Founder's Grind: Don't Outsource Recruiting

15:08 Filter for Fit: Know Your Deal-Breakers and Red Flags

23:00 Beyond the Code: Interview for Culture and Conflict

27:22 Sell the Dream: How to Win Over Top Talent

35:44 Art of the Offer: Make It Personal

39:25 Final Thoughts: What Really Moves the Needle?

Quotes

• "I feel like some of the best hires I've ever made where I can see that that person stuck around the company a long time probably didn't look obvious on paper." - Alexis Munger (16:01)

• "If your story sucks but your deal-breakers are high, you're going to be doing a lot of evening-crying." - Boris Epstein (22:05)  

• "Founders and startups do a very poor job of infusing a sense of conflict and tension into the interview process." - Boris Epstein (23:49)  

• "Don't underestimate the emotional aspect of changing jobs and how that plays into a candidate's decision. It's not just money-based!" - Alexis Munger (30:35)  

• "At that point, you're basically asking the candidate to marry you!" - Boris Epstein (35:55)

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Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

Summary

On this episode of the 1st10 podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Ilya Sukhar, a seasoned entrepreneur, engineer, and venture capitalist. Ilya shares his journey from immigrating to the U.S. as a child to founding Parse, getting acquired by Facebook, and eventually transitioning into venture capital. Ilya shared with us his experiences building and scaling startups and his insights on what makes a successful founder and early-stage company.

Tune in to hear them talk about:

• Advantages of Being a Technical Founder: Technical founders can quickly iterate and build products that meet customer needs.  

• Having Resilience: Founders who can persevere through challenges and build in less-hyped areas often develop stronger companies in the long run.  

• Conflict Resolution In Early Teams: Founders and early-engineers must test how they handle disagreements, as conflict resolution is crucial in the high-pressure environment of a startup.  

• Real-World AI: Ilya is particularly excited about AI applications that impact the physical world, such as smart cameras and healthcare devices, and believes these areas hold immense potential. 

Specifically, don't miss the part where Ilya shared details about his unique, contrarian investment philosophy as a VC and what an AI-powered future might potentially look like!

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions & Icebreakers

05:24 A Soviet Immigrant And His American Dream Come True

09:29 The Addiction: Why Ilya Felt Attracted to Early-Stage Companies

12:33 Building Parse Through Serendipitous Symbiosis

17:26 Importance of Having a High Quality Early-Engineering Team

19:43 Facebook Acquisition and Life At Facebook

25:57 The YC Founder Brand: What Makes Them Unique?  

28:33 Contrarian Investing: Finding Diamonds in the Rough

35:03 Real-World AI and the Future of Tech  

37:26 Ilya's Advice for Founders and Engineers

40:41 Contact Details And Expectations

Quotes:

• "America, despite its faults, is really quite special [...] It's pretty magical to be an American if you want to go start a company." - Ilya Sukhar (05:53)

• "I haven't quite made up my mind whether people learn more from success or from failure.  I think the people that get after it again, after a failure are very motivated in a way that I think is pretty special!" - Ilya Sukhar (17:11)

• "I'm an early-stage person and a lot of why I got into investing is I just want to be involved in multiple projects at that stage." - Ilya Sukhar (30:25)

• "I think a lot of VC is pattern-matching - for good and bad. And, I think if you really look in the sort of long-term lens, the great, great enduring companies are really odd in one fashion or another." - Ilya Sukhar (34:34)

• "I relentlessly recommend referencing! It's just always astonishing to me how little energy some founders put into referencing prospective hires and vice-versa!" - Ilya Sukhar (39:31)

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Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

Summary

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Kevin Liu, Engineering Lead at AngelList and a seasoned builder in the tech industry. Kevin shares his journey from being a fresh computer science graduate during the post-dot-com bust to becoming a key player in high-growth startups like Klout and Nextdoor. He discusses the importance of staying hands-on as a builder, even while transitioning into leadership roles, and how AI is reshaping the engineering landscape.

Here are some key insights that Kevin shared during this conversation:

• Staying Hands-On In Leadership: Maintaining technical skills even as you move into management roles is important. Kevin describes his style as that of a "coach-player", where he continues to code and build alongside his team.  

• Early-Stage Startups Are Rocketships For Early-Careers: Joining a startup early in your career can accelerate your growth and open doors to diverse experiences, from engineering to business strategy.

• AI Can Be A Productivity Booster: AI tools like Cursor have significantly boosted Kevin's productivity, but he cautions that they are most effective when used by skilled engineers who know how to direct them.

• Career Progression Needn't Be Linear: Career growth doesn't always follow a strict upward trajectory. Kevin advocates for following your interests and embracing lateral (or even backward) moves if they align with your passions and skills.

Chapters:

Additionally, don't miss Kevin's reflections on the shifts in the tech industry, from the dot-com bust to the social media boom, and the meteoric rise of AI in recent times.

00:00 Introductions & Icebreakers

06:02 From ColdFusion to AI: A Tech Journey Through the Decades

10:14 Klout, "Influencers", And Lightning-In-A-Bottle

16:20 Joining Nextdoor And The Power of Lateral Moves

25:03 Web 1.0, Web 2.0, And... Web AI?

29:06 Is Kevin Worried About AI Taking His Job?

34:30 Working Through The Startup Ecosystem Food-Chain

37:36 Kevin's Career Wisdom: Your Path Need Not Be A Straight Line

41:12 Kevin's Contact Details & Career Prospects At AngelList

Quotes:

• "When you join a high-growth company in a 'right-place-right-time' thing, as the company grows, you grow. You are forced to grow." - Kevin Liu (14:36)

• "Don't get soft. Whatever that means to you, whatever you need to do to make sure you don't get soft, that's on you." - Kevin Liu (19:40)

• "How can you be there for your people if you cannot empathize with what their day-to-day is? So I think it's a prerequisite to be an engineer before you can manage engineers." - Kevin Liu (23:13)

• "[AI] is a power tool. And if you don't know what you're doing, or if you don't know where you want to place that tool, it's not going to help you." - Kevin Liu (31:49)

• "Your job is to maximize the congruence between how you spend your days and what the company is willing to ask of you!" (40:51)

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Links:

Kevin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevliu/

AngelList: https://angel.co

Klout: https://klout.com

Nextdoor: https://nextdoor.com

776: https://776.org

500 Startups Vietnam: https://500.co/vietnam

Ascend Ventures: https://ascend.vc

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Joshua Inkenbrandt, Pinterest's first frontend engineer and a seasoned builder. Josh shares his journey from being one of Pinterest's early engineers to transitioning into product management, and eventually co-founding startups. He also discusses the unique situation of navigating second stints with his own experience of returning to Pinterest to work on the emotional well-being app, 'How We Feel'.

Josh emphasizes the importance of relationships, adaptability, and the value of self-learning in his career. The conversation is filled with insights on navigating early-stage startups, the evolution of tech roles, and the importance of building meaningful connections in the tech industry.

Tune in to hear Josh talk about the importance of:

• Relationships: Josh's career choices, including joining Pinterest over Instagram, were heavily influenced by his relationships with and the cultural fit of the Pinterest team.  

• Adaptability: Josh's ability to wear multiple hats -- from engineering to product management -- highlights the importance of being open to new challenges and roles, especially in fast-growing startups.  

• Self-Learning: Josh's journey as a self-taught developer shows that passion, curiosity, and hands-on experience can be just as valuable as a formal CS degree in the tech industry.  

• Early-Stage Startups: Joining a startup early allows for significant impact, exposure to diverse roles, and the chance to shape the company's culture and direction.

Specifically, don't miss the part where Josh drops hints about his current stealth project - a social-focused tool which aims to foster empathy and compassion in a disconnected world.

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions & Icebreakers

07:02 On Being A Self-Taught Flash Developer

13:04 Pinterest vs Instagram And Being “Love-Bombed”

22:05 Wearing Multiple Hats: From Engineering to Product Management

30:59 Leaving Pinterest At A ‘Klutch’ Time and The Boomerang

34:03 Using Technology For Emotional Well-Being: The ‘How We Feel’ App

39:30 Josh’s Future Plans, Advice for Early Engineers, And Contact Details

Quotes:

• "I quickly realized I was the dumbest person in the room... [but] I had a huge advantage because I got to work with people who are really smart and learn from them." - Josh Inkenbrandt (11:09)

• “One of the challenges… [for transitioning from an IC role to non-IC roles is that] you have to be able to let other people do the work that you're used to doing.” - Josh Inkenbrandt (24:02)

• "The early group of people that are working on [the product] need to care about it and use it." - Josh Inkenbrandt (29:40)

• "If you kind of self-start stuff, if you make things that you can show people [...] when we're hiring people, that's literally the best heuristic to use [for us]." - Josh Inkenbrandt (42:35)

Connect with us:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Follow:

Website: www.1st10.com

Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast 

Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Links:

How We Feel App: https://howwefeel.org/

Josh's Shoe-related Pins on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joshink/shoes/

Josh’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/importantginger/

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Sophie Z. Novati, founder and CEO of Formation.dev. Formation is a company dedicated to build a more equitable tech industries by helping underrepresented engineers reach their full potential. Sophie shares her journey from being an early engineer at Facebook and Nextdoor to founding Formation, driven by her mission to bridge the skills gap in tech hiring. She discusses the challenges of traditional interview processes, the importance of mission-driven work, and how her experiences shaped her approach to building Formation. 

Tune in to hear them talk about:

• Mission-Driven Work: Sophie's passion for creating equitable opportunities in tech fueled her transition from engineer to founder.

• Succeeding at Technical Interviews: Success in technical interviews requires a holistic approach, including problem exploration, collaboration, and testing.

• The Engineering Method: This problem-solving framework is applicable not just to coding but also to product development and business decisions.

• Embracing Chaos As A Founder: Building a startup is a rollercoaster, and founders need to find deep fulfillment in their work to navigate the inevitable challenges and setbacks.

• Diversity in Tech: Sophie's experience with hiring processes revealed systemic barriers for underrepresented groups.

• Sustainable Business Models: Founders must focus on building sustainable business models that align incentives and solve real problems.

Specifically, don't miss the part where Sophie shares the incredibly insightful advice she received from Mark Zuckerberg during a late-night chess session, while she was an intern at Facebook!

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions

04:58 From Facebook Intern to Mission-Driven Founder

10:07 Chess with Zuck and the Art of Problem-Solving

15:59 Sophie’s Journey From Engineering to Leadership

22:15 The Birth of Formation: Solving the Interview Paradox

28:50 Common Mistakes Engineers Make During Coding Interviews

35:30 The “Engineering Method” Framework For Problem-Solving

37:09 Sophie’s Contact Details & Advice For Early-Engineers & Founders

Quotes:

• "If you're able to capture people's valuable attention, you can always figure out how to turn that into money later."  – Mark Zuckerberg, quoted by Sophie Z. Novati (12:20)

• "If your business is, I'm going to give you $10 and you give me $5 back, then of course people are going to be happy with you. But that's not actually a business model."  – Sophie Z. Novati (34:40)

• "Coding interviews are only maybe 40% about coding. So much of it is about how you're exploring the problem space, understanding what the constraints are in your problem."  – Sophie Z. Novati (29:42)

• "If you're going to embark on the journey of being a founder, figure out a way to absolutely love your work. You have to have such a deeply anchored sense of fulfillment in the grand scheme of things to get you past the hard things."  – Sophie Z. Novati (40:19)

Follow:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Follow:

Website: www.1st10.com

Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast 

Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Links:

Formation: https://formation.dev

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

Summary

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Yash Nelapati, Pinterest's first engineer and first-ever employee! Yash shares his journey from being a young engineer navigating the challenges of the 2008 recession to joining Pinterest in its infancy and helping scale it into a global platform. He reflects on the chaotic early days, the importance of trusting the process, and how his experiences shaped his approach to building teams and products.

Yash also discusses his current venture, MakersPlace, an NFT marketplace aiming to become the "Christie's of NFTs.".  

Here's a quick glimpse of the insights from the episode:

• Simplicity Wins: Joining a startup doesn't have to be a complicated decision. If you like the product and the people, that's often enough to take the leap.

• Generalists Thrive in Early-Stage Startups: Being decent at multiple disciplines is more valuable than being an expert in one, especially when you're part of the first 10 engineers.

• Culture Evolves with Growth: As startups scale, culture often shifts from being vision-driven to data-driven, requiring a balance between intuition and analytics.

• Embrace Chaos: Early-stage startups are inherently chaotic, but that chaos is where learning and growth happen. Firefighting and quick decision-making are part of the journey.

• Trust the Journey: Yash's advice to engineers considering startups is to trust their instincts, avoid overthinking, and suggests a “2-Question Test” to help you come to a decision.

Do listen to the simple but eye-opening "2-Question Test" that Yash recommends for deciding whether or not to join an early-stage startup!

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions and icebreakers

07:04 From Symantec to Silicon Valley: Yash's Early Struggles

12:19 The Pinterest Journey: Coding in an Apartment and Scaling Chaos

21:00 2012 Was The Year Everything Broke (and Grew!)

29:28 Building Culture: From Visionary to Data-Driven

34:13 MakersPlace: The Christie's of NFTs?

40:19 Advice for Engineers And Opportunities at MakersPlace

Quotes:

• "I had to get decent at everything [rather] than really be good at something." - Yash Nelapati (11:36)

• "Gut can only take you to a certain spot but from there you've got to have a much better picture of what's happening underneath the hood." - Yash Nelapati (27:36)

• "You want your engineers to be very involved in the decision-making, yet there's got to be a line where you don't want to bring a whole lot of emotion..." - Yash Nelapati (30:21)

• "Optimize for 'Do I believe in this vision?' [and] 'Do I like these people that I'm sitting around?' And just base that decision on these 2 things." – Yash Nelapati (41:25)

Episode links:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Links:

Maker’s Place: https://makersplace.com/

Yash Nelapati on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashh/

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Steve Bartel, founder and CEO of Gem. Steve was employee no. 25 at Dropbox and went on to found Gem, a leading all-in-one recruiting platform. He offers valuable insights into building early-engineering teams - first at Dropbox and now at Gem. Steve also shares how he translated these experiences into creating the powerful recruiting platform, Gem. 

Whether you're a startup founder or a seasoned recruiter, this episode has valuable insights on the challenges of hiring top talent, the evolution of recruiting tools, and the future of AI in recruiting.

Some key takeaways from the episode:

• Make Recruiting a Core Company Value: Steve carried over the culture of treating recruiting as a top priority from Dropbox to Gem, where hiring the right people was seen as the key to scaling the company.  

• Work Trials Are Powerful: Work trials are not just for evaluating candidates but for allowing candidates to evaluate the company. This approach ensures a good fit on both sides.  

• Build a Product-Focused Engineering Team: At Gem, Steve focused on hiring engineers who were excited about building products that recruiters would love, rather than just solving hard technical problems.

• Recruiting is a Grind, Not a Silver Bullet: Whether at Dropbox or Gem, there's no shortcut to building a great team. Especially for startups without a strong brand, it takes consistent effort, relationship-building, and a deep understanding of what candidates are looking for in a role. 

Specifically, don't miss the part where Steve reveals a cool sourcing trick that can help you convert cold second-degree connections into warm first-degree-ish leads!

Chapters

00:00 Introductions & catch-up

05:45 Being employee no. 25 at Dropbox

10:14 Recruiting Philosophy At Dropbox

15:27 The Birth of Gem: Solving Recruiting Pain Points

22:45 How to Build a 1st10 Team That Loves Building Recruiting Software

26:04 Attracting Talent in the Absence of a Brand

29:56 Looking to Lure Great Talent to Your Small Startup?

38:48 The Future of Recruiting: AI and End-to-End Platforms

43:34 Gem Careers, Freebie, and Contact Details

Quotes:

• "The single most important thing that any of us could do to have an impact was to bring on more great people." – Steve Bartel (11:23)

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Webpage: https://www.1st10.com/podcast

Links:

Gem: https://www.gem.com/

Gem for Startups: https://www.gem.com/startups

Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-bartel/

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger sit down with Ashley Pelzel, COO of Astro Mechanica, to explore her unconventional career journey from Bridgewater Associates to joining a cutting-edge aerospace startup. Ashley shares her philosophy of embracing serendipity, the importance of building strong early teams, and how she navigated the challenges of transitioning into a completely new industry. The conversation dives into the groundbreaking technology being developed at Astro Mechanica and the lessons Ashley has learned about leadership, hiring, and the power of curiosity.

Tune in to hear how Ashley’s journey from finance to aerospace is redefining what’s possible in both her career and the world of aviation. Some key moments to listen for:

• Serendipity as a Strategy: Ashley’s career pivot was driven by a deliberate openness to opportunities. By saying “yes” to new experiences and connections, she found her way into a role she never could have planned for.

• Feedback is a Gift (Even When It Hurts): Ashley’s time at Bridgewater taught her the value of brutal honesty. Constructive feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable, can be a powerful tool for growth.

• Touching Metal is Key to America’s Dynamic Resurgence: At Astro Mechanica, being hands-on and physically involved in the work—whether it’s building jet engines or assembling test stands—is a core part of the culture.

• Hire for Heart, Not Just Resumes: Look for people who are passionate about the mission and willing to go the extra mile. Skills can be taught, but drive and curiosity are harder to instill.

Specifically, don't miss the part where Ashley reveals how several people told her she “was not zero-to-one material” and what she did afterwards!

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions and ice-breakers

08:01 From Hedge Funds to Jet Engines - Ashley's Unconventional Career Journey

18:19 El Segundo - the (new) soul of American Dynamism?

22:14 Inside Astro Mechanica: Building the Future of Aviation

31:24 The 'Zero-to-One' Myth: You Don’t Need Experience to Start from Scratch

34:06 The Bridgewater Effect: Brutal Feedback and Building Resilience

41:57 Opportunities at Astro Mechanica & Ashley Pelzel’s Contact Details

Quotes:

• "At Bridgewater, I felt like a well-trained thoroughbred at the starting stalls of a race. [...] And I found myself asking myself the questions, ‘How far can I run? Where can I go? What can I do?’" – Ashley Pelzel (11:02)

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris and Alexis sit down with Eddie Siegel, the brilliant mind behind Fractional AI, to explore the realities of AI beyond the hype. Eddie shares his unique perspective on how AI is transforming industries, the importance of building strong engineering teams, and the future of AI tools for engineers. From automating mundane tasks to enabling entirely new workflows, Eddie provides a grounded look at the substance behind the buzz. 

On today's episode, Eddie explains why he thinks…

• AI is More Than Hype: Real progress is happening in industries that aren’t typically seen as cutting-edge. Companies are using AI to automate manual processes, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value tasks.  

• AI is a Transformational Shift: AI is enabling computers to read, write, and make decisions in ways that were previously impossible, unlocking new workflows and opportunities.  

• Building the Right Team is Critical: At Fractional AI, the interview process simulates real-world challenges, and the team looks for engineers who can thrive in ambiguous, high-pressure environments.  

• AI Tools are Game-Changers for Engineers:Embracing these tools can significantly boost productivity, and engineers who adapt quickly will have a competitive edge.  

• The Future of AI is Verticalized:The real value will come from verticalized solutions that solve specific industry problems, rather than generic AI tools.  

• AI Won’t Replace Jobs, But It Will Transform Them: The goal of Fractional AI’s projects is to help teams achieve 10x more output without increasing headcount.  

Whether you're an engineer, founder, or just curious about AI, this episode is packed with actionable insights and thought-provoking ideas!

Chapters

00:00 Introductions & ice-breakers

06:03 Is AI Hype or Not-Hype?

07:36 Eddie’s Journey From Intern at LiveRamp to AI Visionary at Fractional

13:45 "AI Won’t Take Your Job But It WILL Replace The Job Itself!" 

18:26 How to Hire New Talent at an AI Company

26:32 A Fractional Lens of the Overall AI Market

36:44 AI Tools Are Your New Superpower - Adopt Them ASAP!

43:45 Eddie’s Contact Details

Connect with us

Website:www.1st10.com

Podcast:www.1st10.com/podcast 

Twitterwww.x.com/1st10engineers

LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/

YouTube:www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast

Music byRoman Senyk fromPixabay

Producer:Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger engage in a captivating conversation about the intricacies of building early engineering teams with Sailesh Ramakrishnan, the managing partner at Rocketship Ventures. They dig into the evolution of technology in startups and the transformative power of machine learning and AI in venture capital. Sailesh shares unique insights on global startup trends, the importance of data in identifying outlier companies, and the human element in technology.

Discover some amazing insights about the world of startups and venture capital from Sailesh, such as:

• Curiosity Unleashed: Explore the fascinating intersection of technology and human curiosity that drives innovation.

• Data Goldmine: Learn about the pivotal role of data in identifying promising startups and trends before they hit the mainstream.

• AI Revolution: Understand the evolving landscape of venture capital and how AI is reshaping investment strategies.

• Culture of Excellence: Gain insights into the importance of building a strong team culture that attracts top talent.

• Tech Frontiers: Uncover the potential of emerging technologies and their implications for future startups.

• Experience Matters: Realize the value of hands-on experience in navigating the challenges of building and managing teams.

Specifically, don't miss the part where Sailesh reveals RocketShip’s secret to finding successful startups! (HINT: It requires looking into nearly HALF A PETABYTE of data!)

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:57 Mars Rover and the Ingenuity of the Human Race

06:30 Kosmix, Walmart Labs and being prescient about OpenAI

17:44 Rocketship and the connection to the Mars Rover

23:05 The Data-Driven Future of Investing

31:29 A Birds’ Eye View Of The Startup Landscape

38:14 The Best Advice Sailesh Ever Got

43:08 How To Connect With Sailesh Ramakrishnan

Quotes:

• "Human beings are one of the few species that have that innate curiosity of knowing what the rest of the universe looks like." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (06:03)

• "We believe more data will always win over better algorithms." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (17:11)

• "The most important thing (that) cannot be manufactured, (that) has to be built, is creating that team." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (39:09)

• “The team that you start off with, when you build the company starting from your zero to first or fifth or 10th employee, is different from the team you need in the 100th or the 200th employee.” - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (40:03)

Follow:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast

Links:

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger share 5 predictions for the future of startups and technology as we begin 2025. They discuss the possibility of a financial boom, the transformative role of artificial intelligence, and the concept of American dynamism, which emphasizes innovation and building great things in America. 

Tune in to hear them talk about:

5 Predictions for 2025: Particularly, the impact of American dynamism and how it’s set to fuel a fresh wave of innovation in the tech industry. With a renewed optimism in the air, this year will bring incredible advancements in manufacturing, robotics, AI, and more.

M&A Opportunities: Mergers and acquisitions present compelling business opportunities for early startups. Whether it’s about creating liquidity or amplifying your mission, understanding M&As can be a game-changer for your business.

The Future of AI: The evolving landscape of AI jobs and the increasing demand for full-stack and AI engineers could mean a radical shift the nature and the future of work!

Specifically, don't miss the part where Boris & Alexis discuss a possible future where companies might hire AI-agent engineers!

Chapters

00:00 Introductions

02:36 Prediction no. 5 - Boris Makes A Bold Prediction!

05:47 Prediction no. 4 - SaaS is Dead! Long Live SaaS?

10:32 Prediction no. 3 - Do You Wanna Build an AI Agent?

14:04 Prediction no. 2 - More Money, More… Hiring!

20:02 Prediction no. 1 - American Dynamism FTW!

25:25 Alexis and Boris Take Bets

Quotes:

"There's a lot of excitement around where Bitcoin can go with the sentiment of our administration, the sentiment of global powers that be with regards to its capability." - Boris Epstein (05:21)

"2025 is going to be the year of productivity, I think, for everybody! Like, build an agent to do everything for you!" - Alexis Munger (11:51)

"I think that we're gonna see a lot more teams spring up in Europe, South America, Canada." - Alexis Munger (14:46)

Follow:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast 

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207 

Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast 

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast

Links:

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On the first episode of the second season of the 1st10 podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger share valuable insights on the critical lessons they learned during the past year helping early-stage startups build early engineering teams. They discuss the challenges of attracting talent, the importance of recruiting skills for founders, and the realities of hiring full stack engineers. Boris and Alexis explore a diverse array of topics such as the need for passion in candidates and the evolving landscape of startup hiring, providing valuable insights for founders and hiring managers alike.

On today's episode, Boris and Alexis discuss:

• Why Attracting Talent is So Challenging - Founders often underestimate the complexities involved in attracting top talent, which goes beyond just posting job descriptions.

• How Much The Recruiting Ability of Founders Matters - It is essential for founders to invest in improving these abilities.

• The Myth of the Full Stack Engineer - Startups might - just might - be better off hiring specialists…

• Good Talent is NOT on LinkedIn - The world has changed and so have the social media habits of young talented engineers…

• The Ultimate Matchmaker - As important as technical skills are for the right hire, there is something equally important a candidate MUST have to be the perfect hire!

Don't miss the part where Boris talks about why candidates shouldn't be reluctant to leave big companies!

Chapters

00:00 - Introductions

02:11 - Lesson no. 6 - The Hardest Thing You Will Do as a Founder…

07:09 - Lesson no. 5 - How Good is the Founder?!

09:45 - Lesson no. 4 - What Does “Full Stack Engineer” Even Mean?!

17:15 - Lesson no. 3 - Where DO You Look for Good Talent?

19:50 - Lesson no. 2 - “Can I please, uh, NOT?”

25:06 - Lesson no. 1 - The MOST Important Thing Needed For The PERFECT Hire!

32:05 - Recap and conclusion

On this milestone tenth episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger interview the founder and CEO of CodeSignal, Tigran Sloyan. They discuss Tigran's journey from Armenia, to MIT, to founding CodeSignal. Tigran also shares some incredible insights on identifying great early engineers for startups, and his perspectives on the recruiting industry.

On today's episode, XYZ talks about:

• Helping Kids To Learn Better - "The current funnel, the way it's designed, it doesn't cater to the different learning-styles. And it just sort of fails everybody involved because you try to cater to everyone while in the process failing everyone." - Tigran Sloyan (11:12)

• Personality Is Not A Type - "I think most people misunderstand personality as a type, especially since things like Myers-Briggs popularized typing people, which makes it easy for us to think about, but it's always (A) it depends and it's a spectrum." - Tigran Sloyan (20:48)

• Be Aware of your Own Biases - "We're biased about many, many, many things because we try to create the shortcuts! And it's part of everyone's growth to be aware of their biases and try to keep them in check in places where it's going to hurt them and their business." - Tigran Sloyan (29:44)

• Recruitment is a ‘Matching Problem’ - "You've got to remember that it's a matching problem, right? Not a one-way street. I see so many people show up to interviews and think like, 'If I can only like represent myself in the best light...' And they forget that it's a matching problem, as in you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you!" - Tigran Sloyan (33:03)

Do not miss Tigran's advice on recruitment -- for both founders hiring engineers and engineers looking to join -- early stage startups!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction & Teaser

04:30 - Tigran Sloyan's Journey from Armenia to CodeSignal

11:42 - Attributes of Great Early Engineers

15:46 - Building CodeSignal - Mistakes, Corrections, and Luck

19:15 - Spotting Good Signal in Resumes

23:13 - About CodeSignal and Its Mission

27:18 - Early Stage Hiring - Bias, Weak Signals, and Advice

35:54 - Recruiting & The Importance of Psychology

38:38 - Conclusion

Connect with us

Website: www.1st10.com

Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast 

Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Links:

Tigran Sloyan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigransloyan

CodeSignal: https://codesignal.com/

Music by ⁠Roman Senyk⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠
Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On the ninth episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger interview Andrew Munn, who's currently a senior engineering manager at Lindy.ai. Andrew shares some wonderful insights from his decade-long career in tech, spanning major companies like Facebook, Uber, and Nextdoor. He discusses his journey from internships at 3 of the 5 FAANG companies, his experiences with different corporate cultures, and his decision to join and later lead engineering teams at different startups.

Here are some of the hidden takeaways from the episode:

• Product vs Distribution - "The best apps are inherently viral. They have their own distribution mechanism." (13:30)

• Late-stage vs Early Stage - "Maybe late stage companies are the sweet spot for impact because you're big enough to have a real product and so you're actually impacting people's lives out there. But you're not so big that you're just a tiny little cog in a big machine. You can still make big changes." - Andrew Munn (23:17)

• Size vs Speed - "Small, high-performing teams will outperform a large mediocre team any day. And that is also the only reason why startups have a chance." - Andrew Munn (32:35)

Don't miss the super-fun segment we designed specially for Andrew, called "Andrew, Why Do You Hate This?!" because it resulted in a mind-blowing revelation about selfies and selfie-cameras!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

04:46 - Early Career, Internship, and First Job at Facebook

08:35 - Transition to Trove, and Early Startup Experience

15:38 - Moving From Trove to Nextdoor

20:12 - Comparison of Late Stage and Early Stage Companies

24:00 - Reasons For Going Back To Early Stage

32:07 - Building High Performing Teams

34:00 - Advice To Founders And Early Engineers

41:05 - A Fun Segment About Andrew's Pet Peeves

46:04 - Conclusion

Connect with us

Website: www.1st10.com

Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast 

Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast 

Links:

Andrew's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmunn/

Lindy Careers: https://www.lindy.ai/careers

Andrew's X/Twitter Profile: https://x.com/AndrewMunn

Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay

Producer: Shrikant Joshi