Founders arriving from large companies often repeat the hiring playbook that worked where they came from, complete with a brand, a recruiting team and systems already built around them. None of that exists at a seed-stage startup.
In this episode, Dwane Hamilton from Greylock’s Core Talent team argues that founders need to work from first principles and take a far more personal role in landing their first hires.
The discussion covers why big-company habits break early, how small mistakes compound without a recognizable brand, and why 2026 has become one of the most competitive hiring markets in years.
