a simple solution: always do a public announcement on x and linkedin when someone joins — one from the company account, one from the individual’s
make it clear from the first conversation that this is expected. eliminates majority of grifters instantly
Missed Cannes? Fomo? There are better ways to spend your time
We’re hosting a curated, NYC mixer for a group of serious builders and operators this Wednesday. Dinner, drinks, and off‑the‑record chats in a private Manhattan penthouse
Want in? Shoot me a DC
Perfect is the enemy of great.
I’ve watched companies spend 3–6 months interviewing 50+ candidates while their competitors ship and win.
If you’re optimizing for a flawless candidates, you’re playing the wrong game.
A lot of people look at US-based engineers and immediately think “way too expensive”
And yeah, on paper, that’s often true.
But something I’ve noticed after working with devs across Europe, LatAm, APAC, and the US — the biggest difference isn’t just salary, it’s mindset.
There’s a higher % of US-based engineers who just understand startup.
They’re more comfortable with uncertainty.
They ask the right questions.
They don’t wait around for someone to tell them what to do.
You can find people like that anywhere — but for whatever reason, there’s more of them here.
And if you’re building something from zero, that mentality goes a long way.
Caught up with @worthalter from /poap and walked away with a new appreciation for what they’re building.
I used to think of POAPs as digital stickers.
But they’re more like memory anchors, little onchain time capsules.
At an early-stage, the difference between a good hire and a great one often comes down to:
Are they willing to argue with you?
I mean, the best ones don’t just take direction, they question it. They show up with opinions, ask hard questions, and still drive things forward.
It’s not about being combative, but being invested.
Blind agreement is comfortable. But it rarely leads to the best outcomes.
After seeing 1000s of engineers referred to /Squad, one things is clear:
The 10x engineers you want never apply for jobs. They're referred.
Elite developers who have built smart contracts with millions of TVL are not hanging out on job boards.
This is why we've built our model around high-quality referrals from people who actually understand the technology. Both talented engineers and specialized recruiters who've built real relationships in the space.
Our network gets stronger with each addition because quality attracts quality.
I've been working hard to cut down distractions
The #1 thing that’s helped most: deleting all social apps from my phone (incl LinkedIn) and turning off all notifications (on both phone & desktop)
Some recent W’s for Squad:
– Hired ops lead to scale matchmaking
– Shipped AI matchmaking v1
– Built outbound playbook for lead gen
– Record candidate submissions
– Onboarded 12 new referrers
– Hosted 4 events founder-only events in NYC
– Cut tech interview time to <1 week
Onwards.
Hosting a founders-only dinner before FarCon this Wednesday, April 30th
It'll be at Fabrice Grinda’s epic penthouse. Organizing alongside
@macedo.eth and @talent
1–2 spots left — dm or comment if interested
