1st10 Podcast

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris and Alexis sit down with Eddie Siegel, the brilliant mind behind Fractional AI, to explore the realities of AI beyond the hype. Eddie shares his unique perspective on how AI is transforming industries, the importance of building strong engineering teams, and the future of AI tools for engineers. From automating mundane tasks to enabling entirely new workflows, Eddie provides a grounded look at the substance behind the buzz. On today's episode, Eddie explains why he thinks…AI is More Than Hype: Real progress is happening in industries that aren’t typically seen as cutting-edge. Companies are using AI to automate manual processes, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value tasks.  AI is a Transformational Shift: AI is enabling computers to read, write, and make decisions in ways that were previously impossible, unlocking new workflows and opportunities.  Building the Right Team is Critical: At Fractional AI, the interview process simulates real-world challenges, and the team looks for engineers who can thrive in ambiguous, high-pressure environments.  AI Tools are Game-Changers for Engineers:Embracing these tools can significantly boost productivity, and engineers who adapt quickly will have a competitive edge.  The Future of AI is Verticalized:The real value will come from verticalized solutions that solve specific industry problems, rather than generic AI tools.  AI Won’t Replace Jobs, But It Will Transform Them: The goal of Fractional AI’s projects is to help teams achieve 10x more output without increasing headcount.  Whether you're an engineer, founder, or just curious about AI, this episode is packed with actionable insights and thought-provoking ideas!Chapters00:00 Introductions & ice-breakers06:03 Is AI Hype or Not-Hype?07:36 Eddie’s Journey From Intern at LiveRamp to AI Visionary at Fractional13:45 "AI Won’t Take Your Job But It WILL Replace The Job Itself!" 18:26 How to Hire New Talent at an AI Company26:32 A Fractional Lens of the Overall AI Market36:44 AI Tools Are Your New Superpower - Adopt Them ASAP!43:45 Eddie’s Contact DetailsConnect with usWebsite:www.1st10.comPodcast:www.1st10.com/podcast Twitterwww.x.com/1st10engineersLinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/YouTube:www.youtube.com/@1st10podcastMusic byRoman Senyk fromPixabayProducer:Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger engage in a captivating conversation about the intricacies of building early engineering teams with Sailesh Ramakrishnan, the managing partner at Rocketship Ventures. They dig into the evolution of technology in startups and the transformative power of machine learning and AI in venture capital. Sailesh shares unique insights on global startup trends, the importance of data in identifying outlier companies, and the human element in technology. Discover some amazing insights about the world of startups and venture capital from Sailesh, such as: Curiosity Unleashed: Explore the fascinating intersection of technology and human curiosity that drives innovation. Data Goldmine: Learn about the pivotal role of data in identifying promising startups and trends before they hit the mainstream. AI Revolution: Understand the evolving landscape of venture capital and how AI is reshaping investment strategies. Culture of Excellence: Gain insights into the importance of building a strong team culture that attracts top talent. Tech Frontiers: Uncover the potential of emerging technologies and their implications for future startups. Experience Matters: Realize the value of hands-on experience in navigating the challenges of building and managing teams. Specifically, don't miss the part where Sailesh reveals RocketShip’s secret to finding successful startups! (HINT: It requires looking into nearly HALF A PETABYTE of data!) Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:57 Mars Rover and the Ingenuity of the Human Race 06:30 Kosmix, Walmart Labs and being prescient about OpenAI 17:44 Rocketship and the connection to the Mars Rover 23:05 The Data-Driven Future of Investing 31:29 A Birds’ Eye View Of The Startup Landscape 38:14 The Best Advice Sailesh Ever Got 43:08 How To Connect With Sailesh Ramakrishnan Quotes: "Human beings are one of the few species that have that innate curiosity of knowing what the rest of the universe looks like." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (06:03) "We believe more data will always win over better algorithms." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (17:11) "The most important thing (that) cannot be manufactured, (that) has to be built, is creating that team." - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (39:09) “The team that you start off with, when you build the company starting from your zero to first or fifth or 10th employee, is different from the team you need in the 100th or the 200th employee.” - Sailesh Ramakrishnan (40:03) Follow: Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast  Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207  Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links: Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On this episode of the 1st10 podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger share 5 predictions for the future of startups and technology as we begin 2025. They discuss the possibility of a financial boom, the transformative role of artificial intelligence, and the concept of American dynamism, which emphasizes innovation and building great things in America.  Tune in to hear them talk about: 5 Predictions for 2025: Particularly, the impact of American dynamism and how it’s set to fuel a fresh wave of innovation in the tech industry. With a renewed optimism in the air, this year will bring incredible advancements in manufacturing, robotics, AI, and more. M&A Opportunities: Mergers and acquisitions present compelling business opportunities for early startups. Whether it’s about creating liquidity or amplifying your mission, understanding M&As can be a game-changer for your business. The Future of AI: The evolving landscape of AI jobs and the increasing demand for full-stack and AI engineers could mean a radical shift the nature and the future of work! Specifically, don't miss the part where Boris & Alexis discuss a possible future where companies might hire AI-agent engineers! Chapters 00:00 Introductions 02:36 Prediction no. 5 - Boris Makes A Bold Prediction! 05:47 Prediction no. 4 - SaaS is Dead! Long Live SaaS? 10:32 Prediction no. 3 - Do You Wanna Build an AI Agent? 14:04 Prediction no. 2 - More Money, More… Hiring! 20:02 Prediction no. 1 - American Dynamism FTW! 25:25 Alexis and Boris Take Bets Quotes: "There's a lot of excitement around where Bitcoin can go with the sentiment of our administration, the sentiment of global powers that be with regards to its capability." - Boris Epstein (05:21) "2025 is going to be the year of productivity, I think, for everybody! Like, build an agent to do everything for you!" - Alexis Munger (11:51) "I think that we're gonna see a lot more teams spring up in Europe, South America, Canada." - Alexis Munger (14:46) Follow: Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/1st10podcast  Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7e8ec9af-f38c-4cd9-8c68-1c1dd4516b 27/1st10-podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1st10-podcast/id1760411207  Podcast: https://www.1st10.com/podcast  RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f951319c/podcast/rss  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links: Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On the first episode of the second season of the 1st10 podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger share valuable insights on the critical lessons they learned during the past year helping early-stage startups build early engineering teams. They discuss the challenges of attracting talent, the importance of recruiting skills for founders, and the realities of hiring full stack engineers. Boris and Alexis explore a diverse array of topics such as the need for passion in candidates and the evolving landscape of startup hiring, providing valuable insights for founders and hiring managers alike. On today's episode, Boris and Alexis discuss: Why Attracting Talent is So Challenging - Founders often underestimate the complexities involved in attracting top talent, which goes beyond just posting job descriptions. How Much The Recruiting Ability of Founders Matters - It is essential for founders to invest in improving these abilities. The Myth of the Full Stack Engineer - Startups might - just might - be better off hiring specialists… Good Talent is NOT on LinkedIn - The world has changed and so have the social media habits of young talented engineers… The Ultimate Matchmaker - As important as technical skills are for the right hire, there is something equally important a candidate MUST have to be the perfect hire! Don't miss the part where Boris talks about why candidates shouldn't be reluctant to leave big companies! Chapters 00:00 - Introductions 02:11 - Lesson no. 6 - The Hardest Thing You Will Do as a Founder… 07:09 - Lesson no. 5 - How Good is the Founder?! 09:45 - Lesson no. 4 - What Does “Full Stack Engineer” Even Mean?! 17:15 - Lesson no. 3 - Where DO You Look for Good Talent? 19:50 - Lesson no. 2 - “Can I please, uh, NOT?” 25:06 - Lesson no. 1 - The MOST Important Thing Needed For The PERFECT Hire! 32:05 - Recap and conclusion

On this milestone tenth episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger interview the founder and CEO of CodeSignal, Tigran Sloyan. They discuss Tigran's journey from Armenia, to MIT, to founding CodeSignal. Tigran also shares some incredible insights on identifying great early engineers for startups, and his perspectives on the recruiting industry. On today's episode, XYZ talks about: Helping Kids To Learn Better - "The current funnel, the way it's designed, it doesn't cater to the different learning-styles. And it just sort of fails everybody involved because you try to cater to everyone while in the process failing everyone." - Tigran Sloyan (11:12) Personality Is Not A Type - "I think most people misunderstand personality as a type, especially since things like Myers-Briggs popularized typing people, which makes it easy for us to think about, but it's always (A) it depends and it's a spectrum." - Tigran Sloyan (20:48) Be Aware of your Own Biases - "We're biased about many, many, many things because we try to create the shortcuts! And it's part of everyone's growth to be aware of their biases and try to keep them in check in places where it's going to hurt them and their business." - Tigran Sloyan (29:44) Recruitment is a ‘Matching Problem’ - "You've got to remember that it's a matching problem, right? Not a one-way street. I see so many people show up to interviews and think like, 'If I can only like represent myself in the best light...' And they forget that it's a matching problem, as in you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you!" - Tigran Sloyan (33:03) Do not miss Tigran's advice on recruitment -- for both founders hiring engineers and engineers looking to join -- early stage startups! Chapters 00:00 - Introduction & Teaser 04:30 - Tigran Sloyan's Journey from Armenia to CodeSignal 11:42 - Attributes of Great Early Engineers 15:46 - Building CodeSignal - Mistakes, Corrections, and Luck 19:15 - Spotting Good Signal in Resumes 23:13 - About CodeSignal and Its Mission 27:18 - Early Stage Hiring - Bias, Weak Signals, and Advice 35:54 - Recruiting & The Importance of Psychology 38:38 - Conclusion Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast  Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast  Links: Tigran Sloyan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigransloyan CodeSignal: https://codesignal.com/ Music by ⁠Roman Senyk⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On the ninth episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger interview Andrew Munn, who's currently a senior engineering manager at Lindy.ai. Andrew shares some wonderful insights from his decade-long career in tech, spanning major companies like Facebook, Uber, and Nextdoor. He discusses his journey from internships at 3 of the 5 FAANG companies, his experiences with different corporate cultures, and his decision to join and later lead engineering teams at different startups. Here are some of the hidden takeaways from the episode: Product vs Distribution - "The best apps are inherently viral. They have their own distribution mechanism." (13:30) Late-stage vs Early Stage - "Maybe late stage companies are the sweet spot for impact because you're big enough to have a real product and so you're actually impacting people's lives out there. But you're not so big that you're just a tiny little cog in a big machine. You can still make big changes." - Andrew Munn (23:17) Size vs Speed - "Small, high-performing teams will outperform a large mediocre team any day. And that is also the only reason why startups have a chance." - Andrew Munn (32:35) Don't miss the super-fun segment we designed specially for Andrew, called "Andrew, Why Do You Hate This?!" because it resulted in a mind-blowing revelation about selfies and selfie-cameras! Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 04:46 - Early Career, Internship, and First Job at Facebook 08:35 - Transition to Trove, and Early Startup Experience 15:38 - Moving From Trove to Nextdoor 20:12 - Comparison of Late Stage and Early Stage Companies 24:00 - Reasons For Going Back To Early Stage 32:07 - Building High Performing Teams 34:00 - Advice To Founders And Early Engineers 41:05 - A Fun Segment About Andrew's Pet Peeves 46:04 - Conclusion Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast  Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast  Links: Andrew's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmunn/ Lindy Careers: https://www.lindy.ai/careers Andrew's X/Twitter Profile: https://x.com/AndrewMunn Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On the eighth episode of 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger explore how Stripe built its early engineering team. Using their combined two decades' worth of experience in recruiting engineers for various tech companies, Boris and Alexis list the key recruitment principles employed by Stripe. Over the course of the episode, they also highlight some innovative recruitment principles used by Stripe, such as their insistence on hiring top talent, focusing on the person rather than the accolades, and various other hiring techniques that resulted in Stripe having one of the most respected engineering teams in Silicon Valley. Here are some key takeaways from the episode that you should keep an ear out for: Referral networks can fail sometimes - "When companies start to scale, (and) they get bigger, I would almost argue that the referral network starts to go down." (8:13) Collaboration and camaraderie in the workplace - "It doesn't matter how like technically good (you are) if you're a jerk and nobody wants to collaborate with you." (18:34) Engineers must remember to flip The Sunday Test - "If you're an engineer evaluating a startup, you want to interview not only to pass but you also want to get to know the startup. You want to get to know the team. Are these people who you would enjoy getting to know?" Importance of trusting instincts - "They're not saying that, you know, this way is better than that way or our way is better than your way. They're saying you as a founder have an instinct around what it takes for you and your team to be successful and trust that instinct." (34:00) Now, this episode is largely focused on what founders need to do to build their early engineering teams. However, if you are an engineer looking to join an early stage startup, you might want to use the recruitment principles detailed in this episode as a yardstick to gauge the startups you apply to! Chapters 00:00 - Introductions 04:38 - The Connection Between 1st10 and Stripe 05:51 - Principle 1: Recruiting is like Marketing 11:55 - Leveraging all 4 recruiting channels 16:08 - Principle 2: Recruiting is circumstantial. 19:26 - The Sunday Test 21:29 - Principle 3: The most important engineer you'll hire 22:30 - Hiring Strategies to Find the Perfect Engineer 33:59 - It's not rocket-science! 35:05 - Summary and conclusion Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast  Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast  Links: How Stripe Built One of Silicon Valley’s Best Engineering Teams: (⁠Archived⁠) ⁠https://review.firstround.com/how-stripe-built-one-of-silicon-valleys-best-engineering-teams/⁠ Producer: Shrikant Joshi Music by ⁠Roman Senyk⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠

On the seventh episode of the 1st10 Podcast, hosts Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger talk to Kurtis Nusbaum of Chronosphere. Kurtis is an experienced software engineer who recently transitioned from Uber to an early-stage startup. He shared some wonderful insights from his recent job search experience, emphasizing the importance of personal connections in career decisions. In this free-wheeling chat with Boris and Alexis, Kurtis discusses his journey from starting UDJ, to joining Facebook, then moving to Uber, and now to Chronosphere, highlighting the significance of personal connections, company culture, and team dynamics in his decision-making process. Here’s a short list of some key takeaways from the episode Importance of Personal connections - "You're gonna be spending a lot of time with them. You better not just like that person. You better really connect and jive with that person." (17:55) Cold outreach is NOT always spam - "Don't just ignore all of that cold outreach. If something does seem interesting, it might be worth at least a 30-minute conversation." (15:57) Building relationships with good people - “You really need to make sure like, ‘Do I like these people?’ [...] It's really, really important to make sure that that box is checked.” (23:48) Take-Home vs Leet-code - I really don't like the, like, leet-code style of interview-questions…(31:56) Don’t miss the rapidfire question segment - it actually ended up being not so rapidfire. Chapters 00:00 Introductions 00:48 Kurtis on College, his startup UDJ, Facebook, and Uber 11:42 Chasing Cool People Instead of Cool Projects 18:14 Identifying Points of Connection With Cool People 22:13 Advice for Founders & Engineers 28:54 Observations on Job-Market and AI Opportunities 31:29 Some Fun Rapidfire Questions! 37:31 Sidetrack: Reflecting on Interview Follow-ups 40:44 Kurtis' Concluding Thoughts Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Links: Blog: https://knusbaum.org Blog Post about Job Search: https://www.knusbaum.org/posts/job-search Crane Presentation I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQPTlrff8iU Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay Producer: Shrikant Joshi

In this podcast episode, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger discuss some recent trends in hiring for early-stage startups. The episode goes into details on a wide-variety of incredibly useful topics such as the rise of AI and how it impacts full-stack roles, interesting changes in interview processes and workplace preferences. Boris and Alexis also touch on some controversial topics such as diversity considerations at early-stage startups. Overall, the episode is a must-listen for founders and early engineers who are heavily invested in the current state of the tech job market. Here’s a handy list of some key takeaways from the episode, timestamped for easy access: Rise Of New Computing Platforms And Paradigms - "You know what's strange? We don't really get that many requests for hiring for mobile anymore." (04:18) More Project-Based And Work-Trial Interviews - "I've probably seen a fair amount of solid engineers that got passed on with, because they just sucked at leet-code" (12:42) Lack Of Emphasis On Diversity - "Our guess is that as these startups get later-stage, it's going to hit them like a ton of bricks" (26:40) Re-Evaluating The Perception Of Career Gaps - "If someone took a two-year break, would that be considered too long?" (32:35) Chapters Don’t miss the part where Alexis explains the revelation that led her to re-evaluate her stance on career-gaps! 00:00 Introductions 02:30 Trend no. 1 - “Is it just a buzzword? Or is it WAY more than that?” 10:31 Trend no. 2 - “Leetcode or take-homes - which is the best way to evaluate candidates?” 18:31 Trend no. 3 - “Who exactly wants to return to office - the employees or the company?” 23:12 Trend no. 4 - “If you are considering a DEI hire, you might want to listen to this…” 27:16 Trend no. 5 - “Resignations or Layoffs - which of the two was greater in 2023-24?” 33:50 Brief recap of trends discussed Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast  Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay Producer: Shrikant Joshi

On today's episode of the 1st10 Podcast, Boris Epstein and Alexis Munger discuss 7 important tips for engineers considering a move to early-stage startups. Today's episode is full of insights accumulated by Boris and Alexis over their years of experience recruiting engineers for various tech companies. With insights ranging from equity and compensation expectations to what *exactly* to look at different interview stages, to assessing the fit between you and a potential startup - this episode has it all! Here are some important takeaways from the episode: Setting Expectations Early - "Most people go to work for early startups to earn a base to maintain their living, but they want that early equity because that early equity is what's going to create the upside."  (03:43) Personal Risk Tolerance - "You can't have the mindset of, I go in, I work from 9-to-5 and I shut my computer." (05:48) Embrace a growth mindset - "Don't worry about which seat you're in, just get on the rocketship," (12:30) How to Attract Founders - "If you're a founder [...] looking to build your founding engineering team, I think you want people around you [...] that have strong opinions on how something should work." (17:08) Focus On The Fit - "You should be interviewing that company as much as they're interviewing you" (19:59) And, if you feel something isn't quite right, well, Alexis reveals a safe-space where you can be utterly candid! Listen to the episode to find out where that is! Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:24 Tip no. 7 - "Do you know how much you are worth?" 05:44 Tip no. 6 - "Are you sure about what you want" 11:04 Tip no. 5 - "Are you worrying about something you shouldn't?" 13:26 Tip no. 4 - "Do you know what you are getting into?" 18:07 Tip no. 3 - "What kind of a chord does this strike?" 20:30 Tip no. 2 - "Are you sure everything is on the up-and-up?" 22:40 Tip no. 1 - "Are you sure you are asking the right questions?" 30:09 Quick recap and conclusion Connect with us Website: www.1st10.com Podcast: www.1st10.com/podcast  Twitter www.x.com/1st10engineers LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/1st10/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@1st10podcast  Links: Producer: Shrikant Joshi Episode Cover Art via ⁠Pixlr⁠  Music by ⁠Roman Senyk⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠