The First Five Hires Of This $10 Billion Business

The first five hires of a $10 billion business called Gusto are discussed in this video. The first hire was a designer named Davey, who had a full-stack mentality and the ability to adapt and learn on the go. The second hire was Steven, a software engineer who incorporated best practices and implemented pair programming. He was recruited through a job post on Hacker News. The third hire had deep experience in taxes and payroll and was convinced to join the company by emphasizing the growth mindset and the opportunity to work in a payroll company without wearing a suit every day. The fourth hire focused on hiring engineers with specific skill sets and a growth mindset, and involved the entire team in the hiring process. The company prioritized creating a positive work culture and had a mission to help other companies build great workplaces. They implemented a "shoes off" policy to create a sense of home and comfort in the office.

Introduction

Anu Hariharan interviews Tomer London, co-founder and CPO of Gusto, on the topic of the first five hires of a $10 billion business.
Gusto is a company that assists growing businesses in managing their teams.
Gusto was part of Y Combinator's winter 2012 cohort.

First hire

The first hire for this $10 billion business was a designer named Davey, who stood out for his full-stack mentality and ability to stretch across multiple disciplines. The company valued hires who could adapt and learn on the go, even without prior experience in certain areas. Davey was also a great cultural fit and was found through the founders' network.

The first hire for the $10 billion business was a designer named Davey.
Davey stood out for his full-stack mentality and ability to stretch across multiple disciplines.
The company valued hires who could adapt and learn on the go, even without prior experience in certain areas.
Davey was a great cultural fit.
Davey was found through the founders' network.

Second hire

The second hire for this $10 billion business was Steven, a software engineer. They placed a strong emphasis on his ability to code and build software, as well as his understanding of software development methodologies. Steven was skilled at incorporating the best practices from different teams and helped establish a methodology for building great software. One example of this was the implementation of pair programming, which they still heavily rely on today. Steven was convinced to join the company through a job post on Hacker News, where he expressed interest in the company's problem. Hacker News has proven to be an effective platform for hiring engineers.

Steven, a software engineer, was the second hire for this $10 billion business.
His ability to code, build software, and understand software development methodologies were highly valued.
Steven incorporated best practices from different teams and helped establish a methodology for building great software.
Pair programming was one of the successful implementations made by Steven, which is still heavily relied on today.
Steven was recruited through a job post on Hacker News, where he showed interest in the company's problem.
Hacker News has proven to be an effective platform for hiring engineers.

Third hire

The third hire for the $10 billion business was a person with deep experience in taxes and payroll. The team recognized the importance of having someone with this skill set to build their compliance function and provide advice on product decisions and customer care. The person was convinced to join the company by emphasizing the growth mindset and the opportunity to work in a payroll company without the need to wear a suit every day. Hiring this person was challenging because they were from Minnesota and had experience in payroll, but they were successfully convinced to join the startup.

The third hire for the $10 billion business had deep experience in taxes and payroll.
The team recognized the importance of having someone with this skill set to build their compliance function and provide advice on product decisions and customer care.
The person was convinced to join the company by emphasizing the growth mindset and the opportunity to work in a payroll company without the need to wear a suit every day.
Hiring this person was challenging because they were from Minnesota and had experience in payroll, but they were successfully convinced to join the startup.

Fourth hire

The fourth hire for the $10 billion business focused on hiring engineers with specific skill sets and a growth mindset. The company prioritized creating a great place to work and involved the entire team in the hiring process. The early employees set the tone for the company and helped achieve their mission of helping other companies build great workplaces.

Key points:

Hiring engineers with specific skill sets and a growth mindset
Emphasis on creating a positive work culture
Involving the entire team in the hiring process
Mission to help other companies build great workplaces
Implementation of a "shoes off" policy to create a sense of home and comfort in the office