I'm only hiring AI-forward people

We’re now aggressively filtering for AI-forward hires.
So are Shopify, Box, and Zapier.

Soon, everyone will be doing it—and if you wait, you’ll be stuck hiring from the leftovers.

Here’s the new baseline:
If someone can’t articulate specific, ROI-driven use cases for AI, they don’t make it past round one.

A few examples of what potential candidates may say:

• “I love ChatGPT.” → fail.

• “I use it as a business coach.” → meh.

• “We built a tool that analyzes sales calls and drives revenue.” → yes, please.

This isn’t about whether someone uses AI. It’s about how they think with AI.

The best hires today:

• Automate the boring stuff without being told

• Build or use AI tools that compound output

• Think in systems, not tasks

If your interview process doesn’t include an AI test, you’re missing a key signal on leverage.

Start asking:

• What’s a unique or innovative way you use AI?

• What’s the most impressive thing you’ve built or done with AI?

• How has AI made you faster, smarter, or more profitable?

• What’s one task you’ve fully automated in the last 90 days?

Anyone who fumbles isn’t ready to compete.

Stay ahead of the curve.

And if you’re job hunting?
Don’t just say you use AI. Show how it drives ROI.

To building teams with leverage,
Eric Siu

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