Most startups flex about hiring speed.
Speed’s nothing if it’s sloppy, just chaos.
At Uber, we kicked off a Bar Raiser program in 2014, grabbed from Amazon, twisted to fit our scale. A tight crew of operators got veto power on every hire. Teams drooled over a candidate? Didn’t matter. A Bar Raiser could kill it. No politics, no shortcuts, one rule: Is this one better than the last?
I was a Bar Raiser at Uber. Took that job serious.
Now at Tools for Humanity, I run that same play, building teams for global punch and real mission fit. As a GM, they had me grill GMs and managers across LatAm, Europe, Asia. Hundreds of hires later, the best stood out clear. They didn’t just fill a slot, they jacked up the bar.
Most companies stack bodies. Great ones stack strength.
Scaling fast? Figure out who’s guarding your hiring line.
One principle I won’t ditch: Pick builders, not talkers. What’s yours?
5 Hacks That Hold Up
- Trajectory Over Logos. Skip the resume flex. Where’d they start, where’d they land? Growth tells the story.
- Chaos Over Scripts. Hit them with real mess, like “Top client bolts mid-rush, now what?” Grit shows up, polish doesn’t.
- Yes or No, Full Stop. No spark, no deal. Middle ground sinks the bar quick.
- Builders, Not Suits. Get people who dig in. Ask for flops they fixed, not playbooks they followed.
- Cross-Border Check. Trusted hands vet across regions. Keeps the standard tight, from Uber to now.