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.

Compromising and hiring someone mediocre will always lead to regret, especially in a startup where every hire sets the tone.

Mediocre engineers do not build great companies; this is especially true in startups where every hire can impact the culture significantly.

Founders who start with a small team often learn to view their company as a product that needs to be engineered, which includes effectively managing people as resources.

Founders often underestimate their unique skills and the specific challenges of their startup, thinking that hiring experienced executives will solve their problems.

The obsession with hiring as many smart engineers as possible, regardless of the company's needs, became a common practice among startups, reflecting a superficial understanding of what truly drives success.

Hiring the right team is crucial; poor hiring decisions can lead to a startup's failure, while a great team can drive success.

The team you build is the company you build, and hiring more competent people can be magic when it works right.

The quality of your engineering talent significantly impacts your startup's ability to pivot and respond to challenges, regardless of external factors like funding or office space.