Attract Great People

From Elon’s USC Commencement speech he described the importance of hiring smart and said:

“If you are forming a company the most important thing is to attract great people.

All a company is, is a group of people that are gathered together to create a product or service.

So depending on how talented and hard working that group is and the degree to which they are focused cohesively in a good direction that will determine the success of the company.

So do everything you can to gather great people if you’re creating a company.“

How can you tell if someone is great?

There are many different ways talent and greatness are expressed and the types of talent you may need will vary.

One trait Elon looks for when hiring new people is to look for problem solvers and evidence of exceptional ability.

When Elon interviews someone he asks about the problems the interviewee worked on:

“And how they solved them…if someone was really the person that solved it they’ll be able to answer multiple levels.

They’ll be able to go down to the brass tacks and if they were not they’ll get stuck.  

And then you can say oh this person was not really the person who solved it because anyone who struggled hard with a problem never forgets it.“

Problem solvers are great people and the people who solve the greatest problems are definitely deserving of their greatness.