SF is overspending on logos. FAANG on your resume, YC on your cap table, Stanford on your diploma - none of it means shit at the stage we're at.
Satya Nadella turned Microsoft from a dying giant into a $3 trillion company with one idea: "The learn-it-all does better than the know-it-all." LinkedIn Carol Dweck's research proved it - people who "believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work" outperform those who think "talent alone creates success." Fortune
The best early-stage teams don't need pedigree. They need:
AI changed the game. Anything you don't know, you can learn in a weekend. The only thing that matters now is whether you're the type of person who actually will. Dedication and tunnel vision beat “talent” every time.
We're not hiring people who peaked at their last job. We're hiring outliers who haven't peaked yet.
The best engineers aren't clustered in one zip code. The best salespeople aren't running enterprise playbooks at Salesforce. The best operators aren't at McKinsey. They're everywhere - often overlooked because they don't have the "right" logos.
Don't send me your resume. Send me something you built, broke, or figured out - and why it mattered to you. [email protected]
Founding Engineer You're not a "backend engineer" or "frontend engineer" - you're just an engineer. You build what needs building. You've shipped something real, maybe on your own, maybe at a company no one's heard of. You understand product ecosystems, not just code. You're a little growth-hacky. You can talk to customers without breaking into hives. You don't need permission to fix things.