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Metadata

ID:
2025-05-26-gary-ron-bernhard-hiring-strategy
Participants:

Gary, Ron, and Bernhard - Hiring Strategy Discussion

Date: May 26, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng, Ron Roberts, Bernhard Baernthaler

Key Discussion Points​

Hiring Strategy & CCAT Requirements​

  • CCAT/PCCAT requirements:
    • 35/50 (70th percentile) minimum for core team members
    • Strong correlation between CCAT scores and job performance/tenure
    • Core team members expected to be long-term, flexible contributors
    • Alternative path for specialized roles: project-based contracts with specific goals

Current Hiring Challenges​

  • Crossover platform limitations:
    • Works well for technical roles (coders)
    • Struggles with senior/leadership positions
    • Difficult to assess soft skills and evangelization abilities
    • Hard to identify personal credibility with specific audiences

High-Priority Roles​

  1. Founder in Residence positions needed for:
    • GT School (Gifted & Talented focus)
    • Next-Gen Academy (eSports background)
    • Montessori schools (15 locations)
    • Virtual education (product/software background)

Notable Potential Candidates Discussed​

  1. Ari Crane

    • Connected to Ad Astra/Astronova (Elon's school system)
    • Strong China/Korea connections
    • Applied after hearing about Alpha
    • Family background in education

  2. Mikey Gendell

    • Connected to Chicago Bulls and White Sox
    • Family owns Marriott hotels
    • Potential for sports-focused initiatives
    • Could help with Chicago Bulls feeder school concept

  3. Travis Oliphant

    • "Godfather of AI" based in Austin
    • Created NumPy, SciPy, major contributor to PyTorch
    • Interested in creating "Bell Labs for education"
    • Securing billion-dollar government contracts
    • Met through church connection

Key Quotes​

"The further you go away from tech and the further you go up the seniority scale, the harder that is to do." - Bernhard on Crossover limitations

"You're not going to create a job description for that kind of person... You can almost barely believe that these kinds of people even exist." - Gary on high-caliber candidates

"We know that it filters out some people that could be useful. But on the other side of the coin, the people who pass the CCAT and all the other kind of requirements of a pipeline, we almost can guarantee... that they're going to do the job well." - Bernhard on CCAT value

Action Items​

  1. Gary to sync with Mikey Gendell about potential role
  2. Team to brainstorm founder-in-residence candidates
  3. Consider referral bonus structure for successful hires
  4. Develop project-based contract approach for specialized roles

Next Steps​

  • Regular communication via Gchat/Slack
  • Develop specific goals/metrics for project-based roles
  • Continue identifying potential founder-in-residence candidates
  • Consider referral bonus structure for recruiting efforts