The Ownership-First Hiring Decision

You are choosing between two engineering candidates. One has exceptional technical depth and answers every technical question correctly, but gives weak examples of ownership and communication. The other is technically strong enough, demonstrates sound judgement, and has repeatedly taken responsibility for ambiguous outcomes.

Earlier founder experience showed me the danger of building an organisation that depends too heavily on one technical leader. In later hiring, I wanted people who could contribute not only technical output, but also judgement, communication, and independent ownership.