We already have some notes on our culture that help guide hiring decisions, but I’d like to write a little more about hiring to both reflect and inform our internal discussions and processes around potential candidates.

The first thing I’d like to say as a general principle is that hiring should be treated as the highest energy investment, most selective, and most thoughtfully considered item in our portfolio of work. It is the most powerful meta-investment we can make, in that each new member of our team will have a tremendous ripple effect on all of our work, our culture, and the people they help hire.

What this means is that hiring (when hiring is called for) should nearly always trump all other priorities besides existential risks and opportunities. I can find it hard to slow down short-term goals in favor of higher investment in hiring and this is a reminder to myself to do so.

This also means that we should never hire somebody we don’t feel absolute conviction about, even if we are pressed to hire quickly to meet company objectives. Hiring somebody is not an easy decision to reverse. The labor market is unfathomably large, and there are always more people we can talk to. Additionally, we need to extend the same care and thoughtfulness to any intern or contractor, as otherwise they may grow into a more established role through a combination of inertia and being “good enough”.

We have talked about our uncommon focus on emotional intelligence, and I would like to break down specifically what this means:

• As Huiru recently observed, everyone on our team is gentle and kind. Being gentle and kind means we are conscientious of how our words and actions might make others feel. We look for opportunities to support each other. We are empathetic, thoughtful, and by default inclusive. We care about each other’s happiness and wellbeing independent of any company objective.
• When we feel frustration or resentment, we take ownership of our emotions and find an appropriate space to communicate what we’re experiencing respectfully, collaboratively, and honestly.
• We are self-aware. We know what we are thinking and feeling, and we are able to tactfully and effectively communicate this to others.
• We are honest and high-integrity. We don’t tell lies of commission or omission. When we make mistakes we own up to them.
• We do not gossip about each other. If we need to get input from somebody else on an issue we’re experiencing with a team member, we do so in the most thoughtful, professional, and respectful manner possible.
• We always seek to develop more ownership, not less. We recognize that ownership is distinct from authority.
• We are humble, and we readily admit when we don’t know something. We look for opportunities to learn from others.
• We are exceptional communicators. All communication, including written communication, is dialogue. We are sensitive to who we are communicating with.
• We like to laugh and have fun, and we affectionately and playfully chide each other to humanize each other and stave off pride and stiff social hierarchies. Humor is never used to put someone down or make someone feel bad. We avoid humor about sex, race, gender, religion, nationality, body composition, disability, or neurodiversity.
• We generally avoid interrupting each other or dominating a conversation. We make space for everyone to contribute.
• We understand our limits and respect them. While we grow by supporting each other in consciously pushing past our limits when called for, we celebrate people’s willingness and ability to take care of themselves.
• We take care of our physical, emotional, and mental health. We are free from active and unaddressed mental health disorders and addictions.
• We are mature. We have experienced failures, losses, and messiness in life and work and grown from it. We don’t hide our humanity, and we are not professional robots.
• We tend towards selflessness. We want to see others succeed and flourish.
• We tend to be emotionally warm.