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Severin Hacker

05/19/25

@ 20VC with Harry Stebbings

We waited too long to hire more senior managers, which led to a chaotic environment in the early stages of the company.

Video

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Duolingo Co-Founder, Severin Hacker: How AI Impacts the Future of Work and Education

@ 20VC with Harry Stebbings

Duolingo Co-Founder, Severin Hacker: How AI Impacts the Future of Work and Education

05/19/25

Related Takeaways

MT

Michael Truell

05/01/25

@ Lenny's Podcast

Initially, we hired too slowly, which contributed to our rapid growth from $0 to $100 million ARR in just a year and a half.

JH

Julia Hartz

03/13/14

@ Y Combinator

As we grew, we faced challenges with leadership, often placing inexperienced individuals in leadership roles too early, which can lead to failures and dissatisfaction.

JG

Joe Gebbia

06/07/17

@ Y Combinator

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.

TB

Tim Brady

08/30/19

@ Y Combinator

If you hire the wrong people early on, those mistakes will propagate, making it much harder to correct course and build a coherent company culture later.

TO

Taylor Otwell

06/13/25

@ EO

I initially hesitated to hire others for my company, fearing they would disrupt my vision, but once I did, I realized it was a mistake to wait so long.

KM

Kathryn Minshew

03/13/14

@ Y Combinator

After getting into Y Combinator, we made early-stage mistakes by hiring without proper culture fit vetting and dreaming too big without focusing on execution.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

05/20/22

@ Y Combinator

When you're building a company, it's crucial to understand that hiring too many employees too soon can lead to burnout and financial strain.

SA

Sam Altman

05/02/17

@ Y Combinator

Founders often make the mistake of being afraid to hire senior people early on; instead, they should focus on hiring individuals who can get things done and work hard.

PC

Patrick Collison

11/05/15

@ Greylock

Investing in people who might take a long time to hire is crucial when you're early in a company's history.