Quotes on Hiring

“As much as possible, avoid hiring MBAs. MBA programs don't teach people how to create companies.”

“I don't believe in process. In fact, when I interview a potential employee and he or she says that 'it's all about the process,' I see that as a bad sign. The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. You're encouraged to behave like a little gear in a complex machine. Frankly, it allows you to keep people who aren't that smart, who aren't that creative.”

—Elon Musk

“Those who invest only when commentators are upbeat end up paying a heavy price for meaningless reassurance.”

—Warren Buffett

“Talent is extremely important. It’s like a sports team, the team that has the best individual player will often win but then there’s a multiplier from how those players work together and the strategy they employ.”

—Elon Musk

“Excessive use of made up acronyms is a significant impediment to communication […] No one can actually remember all these acronyms and people don’t want to seem dumb in a meeting, so they just sit there in ignorance. This is particularly tough on new employees.”

—Elon Musk

“Smart people are a dime a dozen and often don’t amount to much. What counts is being creative and imaginative.”

—Jeff Bezos

“What I knew from working in professional environments—from recruiting new lawyers for Sidley & Austin to hiring staff at the White House—is that sameness breeds more sameness, until you make a thoughtful effort to counteract it.”

—Michelle Obama

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

—Bill Gates

“Every person in your company is a vector. Your progress is determined by the sum of all vectors.”

—Elon Musk

“I'd rather interview fifty people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.”

—Jeff Bezos

“If your employees, including your CEO, wish to give to their alma maters or other institutions to which they feel a personal attachment, we believe they should use their own money, not yours.”

—Warren Buffett

“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you.”

—Warren Buffett

“I learned to go into business only with people whom I like, trust, and admire.”

—Warren Buffett

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy.”

—Warren Buffett

“Honesty is a very expensive gift, Don't expect it from cheap people.”

—Warren Buffett