This CEO Looks for 3 Traits From New Hires
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- Adam Mosseri is the CEO of Instagram, an app with three billion users.
- In a recent interview, Mosser revealed that he looks for three traits in new hires, regardless of discipline.
- Mosser compared an opening to AI to the first days of learning a new language.
HE is disrupting the workforcebut in Instagramfeatures that matter in new hires stand the test of time.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said in a recent episode of Lenny’s Podcast that he looks for three essential traits in new hires. No matter what their function in the company is, it requires workers who are quick learners, brave and self-aware.
“If you are those three things, if you have fire in your belly, learn quickly and are self-aware, you can become good at anything eventually,” Mosseri said. “But if any of those things are missing, there’s usually a problem.”
Self-awareness is especially important because it means “you can get feedback,” he said. That’s important considering Instagram’s vast user base: The app boasts three billion users.
It’s also vital given that technology is likely to change dramatically over the next decade, according to Mosseri. He stressed the importance of adaptability in workers who are determined to thrive in one The world run by AI.
“I think two things that I’m continuing to encourage myself to do is stay curious and put myself out there,” he said. “I just think you have to try things.”
Mosser compared an opening to AI with learning a new language.
“Are you willing to look like an idiot?” he said. “Are you willing to say it and be corrected and not be offended and then get better and better? You just have to put yourself out there. And with all these new tools and models and technology, I think you just have to be willing to try things.”
Another CEO has his own list of three qualities
Interim CEO of Scale AI, Jason Droegeit is said in one October episode e Lenny’s Podcast that he interviews workers across disciplines.
“Whenever I hired people, I tried to compose almost like an organism of powers and then minimize conflicts,” he said.
He can’t be an expert in every field, so he boils down what he’s looking for to three things: curious problem-solving, humble collaboration, and good leadership skills.
“If you do those three things, I think you have a pretty high chance of success in at least one organization,” he said. “The world is changing, isn’t it? So you need people who are adaptable. So the whole experience isn’t necessarily one-to-one.”
However, Droege said experience matters for some roles in the expert level.
“For certain roles, you absolutely need the right experience in this current market,” he said. “You see that with researchers, because the market is moving so fast, you don’t have time to train some people.”
Anton Osika, CEO of vibe coding startup Lovable, said Business Insider last year that he cares more about how quickly someone learns and adapts than where he is professionally.
“If a conversation seems lively, if I walk away learning something new, that’s a strong sign that they’ll thrive on the team and push our ways of working forward,” Osika said.
Get the main
- Adam Mosseri is the CEO of Instagram, an app with three billion users.
- In a recent interview, Mosser revealed that he looks for three traits in new hires, regardless of discipline.
- Mosser compared an opening to AI to the first days of learning a new language.
HE is disrupting the workforcebut in Instagramfeatures that matter in new hires stand the test of time.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said in a recent episode of Lenny’s Podcast that he looks for three essential traits in new hires. No matter what their function in the company is, it requires workers who are quick learners, brave and self-aware.
“If you are those three things, if you have fire in your belly, learn quickly and are self-aware, you can become good at anything eventually,” Mosseri said. “But if any of those things are missing, there’s usually a problem.”
