Successful companies often hire former founders to lead product divisions, leveraging their experience in building and managing products.

We believe in promoting from within, but as we grow, we sometimes need to hire external managers, which presents new challenges.

To succeed, you need small, focused teams that can quickly build products, and we often hire former founders for these roles.

Hiring great managers and executives can change the dynamic, as they understand how to leverage a founder's authority to achieve goals rather than isolate them.

New founders often feel the need to hire more employees to gain status, while experienced founders prefer smaller teams to avoid the challenges of managing larger companies.

When hiring, we look for ambitious individuals who are excited about our vision, even if they aren't lifelong users of our product. This allows us to bring in fresh perspectives that can help us improve and grow.

In the early days of Airbnb, we were hesitant to hire senior leadership too soon, but I now believe it's crucial to bring in experienced management when you know you're going to scale.

Hiring experienced executives at the right time can dramatically impact a startup's growth and management capabilities.

Our approach to acquisitions focuses on finding companies whose founders want to build with us, rather than those looking to exit due to burnout.